Since sashaying onto our screens in Project Runway New Zealand in 2018 and capturing the nation’s attention with his striking Pasifika couture, life for designer Beau Louis Takapu has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.
Launching his own fashion brand, suffering through a divorce and finding solace in charity work, Beau says he’s grown as an individual and is dedicating his latest collection, Forever Grateful, to the people who’ve been with him on this wild ride.
His television debut on season one of Project Runway New Zealand came as a surprise, with his then-husband secretly applying for him, and Beau was quickly shortlisted and accepted onto the show.
“Being on TV filled every spot in my mental health that was possible,” recalls Beau. “I was thinking, ‘Am I good enough? Are people going to think I’m too Tongan or not Tongan enough? What if people think I’m weird?’
“But I can honestly say I’ve learned to love and accept every part of myself. There are a lot of growing pains and learning lessons when you open yourself up to the public.”
Project Runway gave Beau the desire to follow his dreams.
The 42-year-old describes his passion for fashion as something he was born with, watching his mother Melina work as a seamstress from a young age and becoming fascinated with the process of making clothes.
However, it was only after his on-screen appearance that he felt driven to create his own label, Beau Louis Takapu, which launched in January 2020. Unfortunately, two months later, the world went into lockdown.
“For a lot of business owners, including myself, life hasn’t been the easiest,” confides Beau. “I’ve really had to push myself to get to where I am today. I’m a part of the statistic of couples that didn’t make it through Covid and that was really tough.”
Life always has a way of turning things around and, for Beau, that came in the form of an invitation to showcase his work in the upcoming Pacific Dance Festival held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Forever Grateful, created specifically for the event, is filled with vibrant Pasifika hues and is “a dedication to the men and women in my life that have lifted me up when I needed it”, explains Beau. “It’s a montage of different people and personalities, showcasing their greatness.
“I officially divorced three months ago and this just seemed like perfect timing. It’s a really nice jumpstart to moving on.”
The Pacific Dance group weren’t the only ones to recognise Beau’s natural flair for fashion, with the Princess Royal of Tonga also commissioning a custom puletaha, a traditional Tongan dress, for the
Pacific Island Food Revolution TV series filmed in Fiji’s capital, Suva, back in 2019.
“I was ecstatic when I got the email about the commission and I flew to Suva to dress the princess,” Beau shares. “I had to take it in at one point before the show, which was great because through connections I managed to get a sewing machine.”
A radiant Princess Royal of Tonga wearing Beau’s creation.
Although designing and making clothes fuels his creative side, Beau admits it doesn’t always feed his soul. This realisation led him to start working for the non-profit Society of St Vincent de Paul at the beginning of 2020.
During lockdown, the charity was crying out for volunteers to run their food banks and Beau immediately put up his hand.
“It was far better than sitting around at home,” he tells. “I started off doing 10 hours a week, but then it grew to 20, then 30. Judging by what I’ve seen, a lot of people need help and I’m so happy to be one of those people who can help them.”
Beau’s charity work will continue alongside growing his fashion label, which he plans to make a full-time business, complete with its own showroom.
“I like showrooms better than storefronts because I don’t need all the overheads,” he says. “I just need a creative space to make this a business, and to be able to express me as an individual, my creativity and my clothing.”
Beau’s Forever Grateful collection will be showcased at the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Twilight Tuesdays on June 13 at 7pm.
