Paper short abstract:

In the Pacific Festival Arts, delegates from Pacific countries make cultural exchange to promote each country’s cultural identity. Fashion show is one of the popular item. I will make analysis on the specific fashion show and examine their self-representation and identity.

Paper long abstract:

The Pacific Festival of Arts is an event held in somewhere in the Pacific once in every four years by the Pacific Art Council in cooperation with the SPC. Country delegates from all over the Pacific come together for their activities of the cultural exchange. The first festival was held in Fiji in 1972. At that time, only three countries: Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji were independent, and other small Pacific countries were under colonial rule and in the process of making preparation for independence. Nevertheless, some countries are still dependent in the Pacific. The Festival was started in order to promote each country's cultural identity. In the Festival, various kinds of art forms and genres were displayed and performed and fashion show is one of the popular items to be shown. In the fashion show, each country displays special material or special design of their own. Some cloths are very modern with traditional taste while some are authentic product of their traditional life. Although most of the Pacific societies have no cloth in their traditional culture, each society had different design on tapa printing and today the traditional design is printed on calico cloth. I will make analysis on the fashion show in the latest Festival of Pacific Arts held in Guam 2016 and examine their self-representation and identity. Production of their own designs and prints are just started and not yet recognized in the world market but already having a good reputation in some domestic market.