16/10/2026
Where it all began… 🪶
At just 20 years old, while I was still working in retail, a beautiful wahine became my very first customer, trusting me to create a taonga kākahu as a special gift for her mum.
At the time, I had never made a korowai kākahu before. I didn't even own a sewing machine! But she believed in me enough to pay me upfront, allowing me to purchase my very first sewing machine and the materials I needed to begin.
I had no experience, no training, just a vision and the determination to give it a go. It took time, patience, plenty of trial and error, but when I finally completed her mum's kākahu, she absolutely loved it. ❤️
That was the moment I knew I had found my calling.
I am completely self-taught, and to this day, I truly believe my wairua and my tīpuna have guided my hands throughout this journey. What started with one person putting their faith in a 20-year-old girl who had never made a korowai before has grown into something I never could have imagined.
Looking back, I am forever grateful to this wahine. She didn't just purchase a kākahu, she gave me an opportunity to discover a gift within myself that I never knew existed.
Sometimes all it takes is one person believing in you before you learn to believe in yourself. ❤️
From that very first kākahu to the hundreds I've created since, every single one has been made with aroha.
Below is a beautiful photo of her mum wearing the very first korowai I ever created. A taonga that will always hold a special place in my heart. 🪶
Ngā mihi nui to this whānau for being the beginning of my journey.
MKM Designs | Korowai by Kataraina ❤️
