Te Vaka costumes are designed and made by Julie Foai. 

They reflect the music in that they are traditionally influenced but also contemporary. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Costume made and handpainted by Failepou Peni
of Lepou fashion for the Moana Orchestra tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New female band costume made for the Moana Orchestra 
tour. Black fabric trimed with hand designed real tapa cloth     

Costume made for the Disney D23 Expo

Olivia wearing the costume made for the performance
of music from the Moana movie at Disney's D23 Expo 
in August 2015. The costume is made from a very delicate
brown Tongan tapa cloth and includes feathers, shells and
white cotton fabric underneath to enable her to dance


Original Pacific Corsette

This corsette worn by Olivia on the 2015
Te Vaka tour is made from Tapa style fabric.
In total including the lining there were 27 pieces
patched together to create the shape and visual
pattern and that didn't include all the bone pieces
inside it.

Olivia in Costume 
Dance costume made for Olivia and first worn on
the 2015 tour. Skirt is a silky-stretch fabric. The Titi 
is a black base with shell design at the front and
Kiro at the back. Bra is made from fabric leaves and  
2 small ankets made of rafia, feathers and shells.

 Olivia in Band costume for 2015
Olivia's band costume for 2015. Being the
only girl on the 2015 tour Olivia's costumes
had to be multi-purpose and she had to beable
to dance in all of them. This one is made from
a tapa style fabric with black satin binding.

 

Female Band costume

Girls band costume is an original design that was
first worn in 1999. The skirt and top are made out
of black cotton lycra. The arm and neck bands are
made from Tapa fabric and the top is trimmed with
same fabric. The "Titi" on the hips is made of cloth
and feathers with a Tokelauan pearl shelll as the
centre piece. The necklace (Pahina), is also made
from pearl shells. Worn here by Olivia on the
2010 tour.

 Boys band costume

Boys band costume is an original design
that was first made in 1999. The top is a
cotton lycra muscle Tee with original artwork
representing all the Islands of the South Pacific.
The Pahina is from Tokelau, the Lava lava is a
Samoan style design. Worn here by Matatia.

 Papa e costume  Boys Papa e costume
One of the first Te Vaka costumes. This one was
made for touring as the fresh leaves don't last.
The fabric leaves have been carefully sewn to a
strapless bra and made into a matching headdress.
The lower part of the costume is just a lavalava
tied quite short. Worn by Alana in 1997 & 98.
The boys costume is again made for travel
with a fabric headband decorated at the back
with pearl shell, some dried material and feathers.
The belt and armbands are made out of woven matts.
The lava lava is black cotten. All the materials are natural.
Worn by Etueni Pita since 1997.
 Girls drums and dance costume  Boys pate mo tou vae costume
Vai Mahina wearing Cook Islands style costume.
The hula skirt is double layered with plain underneath
and red on the top. The Titi is very heavy to help with
the sway and covered with Tapa, kiro and hanging
natural beads. Headdress is made to match with some
red rafia and beads. It is platted with four strands to
get the thicker flatter effect.

Etueni Pita in Traditional style costume
for the boys. Fabric lavalava. Kiro and feather
leggings. The headdress and armbands are
made from fabric leaves for traveling but fresh
would be used when possible.

 Girls Te Lama dance costume  Boys Te Lama dance costume
Original Te Vaka design worn here by Tremayne
Lihou. Top is made from Tapa cloth and secured
at the back with hooks and velcrose. White fabric
lavalava, just wrapped and turned at the top. T
iti is rafia, beads, and dried onions attached at the back.
Fabric lava and headband, shell and
rafia belt from Tahiti, handpainted tapa
armbands and Pearl shell from Tokelau.
Dancer Talaga Sale.
 Te Vaka boys dance costume  Girls dance costume Samoan headdress
Traditional design costume, based on the kirio skirt
with rafia and feather arm bands, head bands and
and leggings. The top of the kiro skirt is woven and
has a small piece of tapa cloth and a pearl shell in
the center of the waistband. Dancer Etueni Pita
This one is a real cultural mix - the headdress
is traditional and normally worn by a Samoan Princess.
The coconuts are mostly worn by Cook Island and T
ahitian dancers. The red feathers on the hips are
also part of a Samoan costume but wouldn't normally
be worn over a lava lava as they are here. Dancer Alana Foai
 Girls lakilua costume  Lakilua dance costume

Traditional and contemporary mix. Fabric lava lava,
sewn to size and secured with velrose. Pearl shell,
kiro and feather titi for the hips. Coconut bra, standard
costume piece for the Cook Islands and Tahiti. 3 pahina
shells from Tokelau. Headdress made of rafia and feathers
with pearl shell necklace interwoven in the front.
The headdress is done with 4 strand platting. 

Traditional mix with a white fabric lava, sewn
to fit the hips and a feather, kiro and shell Titi that
sits on the hips. The headdress is made of rafia,
feathers and a shell arrangement in the front. The
coconuts are traditional , the neck and armbands
are part of the Te Vaka band costume. Olivia Foai
 Luelue costume  Girls luelue costume
This is a Te Vaka orginal - starting at the top with
the headdress made of platted black fabric and natural raffia.
The neckpeace is made from kiro, the same natural fibre at
the hula skirts are made from. The skirt is a combination of
handpainted tapa and black fabric. It is slit at the side to allow
for movement. Kiro and feather leggings are tied at the top
of the calf. Simona Hope
Costume created for quick-change includes
band top lava lava tied lengthwise and black
shorts underneath to allow for movement.
 Pate mo tou agaga costume  Puke puke te pate costume
Te Vaka original - the skirt is made from silky fabric
with an extra layer of pleated fabric at the top to help
exentuate the hips. The Hawaiian lei is attached to the
skirt all the way around and long black bird feathers
are sewn in at the back for extra effect. Coconuts
are worn for the top and the Te Vaka girls necklace
made of 3 pahina shells from Tokelau which is worn
with all the costumes. Olivia 
Cultural contemporary mix. The headdress is
made of woven matting, pearl shell, beads and
feathers, modeled on the Tahitian style headdresses
and held in place with elastic under the hair.
Coconut bra and kiro short hula skirt with black rafia
titi decorated with shells and fiberous string. Tremayne
 Earlier pate mo tou vae costume  Tamahana dance costume
Natural organic style. Skirt is white fabric just folded 
and wrapped. Titi on hips is made of rafia, tapa and
natural beads. Headdress is tapa and rafia. Olivia Foai

Tapa top, held on with elastic and rugged tapa 
skirt held on with velcrose. Olivia Foai