Nautical vibes and chic-meets-utility crafted accessories are on Word on Fashion’s shopping list for summer 2025.
Karen Walker presented a sneak peek of her latest collab with with Fiji’s Rise Beyond the Reef during her recent show at New Zealand Fashion Week.
The collection officially launches today and marks three years of partnership empowering women in remote communities in Fiji.
It’s artisanal, eye catching and functional, imbued with Walker’s quintessential style.
Comprising of handwoven bags and fans from Kioa Island and Cakaudrove Province, made from locally harvested wild vine, pandanus and coconut fibre, each finished with signature Karen Walker Runaway straps in blue.
We’re big fans of the nautical striped fans woven from Wamera wild vines from Cakaudrove Province.
The stand up bucket bags, also from Cakaudrove Province, stomp all over the currently popular stand up plastic totes out in the marketplace when it comes to style, sustainability and genuine feel-good beach vibes.
By choosing a Karen Walker x Rise Beyond the Reef bag you’re supporting a non-profit organisation that creates sustainable pathways for rural Indigenous women and their families, helping bridge the divide between remote communities and the modern market.
Each handmade piece reflects ecological, cultural and social values while supporting climate-smart initiatives and preserving traditional skills.
In Cakaudrove Province on Fiji’s second-largest island, more than 50 women weave baskets and fans from the wild wamere vine, a technique first introduced to their village generations ago. The vine is harvested deep in the forest, one strand at a time, then peeled and split entirely by hand.
The round basket totes come are made on Kioa Island, part of Fiji’s northern region, where the artisans work with sasa (coconut palm) and pandanus, harvesting, preparing and weaving each piece by hand.
The island’s isolation makes access limited and costly, yet it preserves a way of life where knowledge and technique are passed from one generation to the next.
The finished weavings are sent to Sabeto Valley, where the Rise Beyond the Reef Studio Collection team completes the leather finishing and assembly. This final stage provides job training and employment for youth from partner communities before the completed designs are sent to New Zealand.