Mitchell Vincent – Fashion Designer
“I am Tuwharetoa, a fashion designer, a creative, a businessperson, a son, an uncle, and hopefully a teacher.”
Mitchell Vincent has been in Kirikiriroa-Hamilton for 17 years, since studying a fashion course at Wintec. Kirikiriroa has been a central hub for work, allowing him to travel home to Tāupo, but also up to Auckland for mahi.
Mitchell said it’s been a fun journey creating his own little CBD hub, the Mitchell Vincent Collection on Victoria Street. “Finding others within Hamilton has been beautiful for things like logo design, fabrics, clothing, and storytelling.”
Mitchell said in the future he’d love to expand what he does here in the CBD and Kirikiriroa, and also do more pop-ups and collaborations elsewhere. “We’ll hopefully do one in Wellington in the future.”
He found there weren't many Māori people coming through the fashion industry when he started. “It was beautiful to find them and rise together.”
Mitchell references home and whanau all the time and there’s also a safe space for him when it comes to the Māori culture. “I love that, especially when travelling, it's a beautiful thing to be able to share the journey with others.”
Mitchell’s advice for new creatives is to keep going at it. “It’s taken years for me to be in a space where this is my full-time job. It’s good to not give up on your dreams and always learn. Always take on as many lessons as you can. Build those safe spaces within your industry.”
Quotes:
“It’s good to not give up on your dreams and always learn. Always take on as many lessons as you can. Build those safe spaces within your industry.”
“Finding others within Hamilton has been beautiful for things like logo
design, fabrics, clothing, and storytelling.”
Written by Kae Evans. Kae is a year 3 Bachelor of Communication student at Wintec-Te Pūkenga, majoring in Creative Media. Kae’s study is focused on creative expression through photography and storytelling.