When we approached Rob Tennent to shoot our cover shoot with Te Manahou Mackay in Sydney we knew it would be good. The Kiwi creatives who are both the tops of their fields took to Cronulla beach in Sydney at golden hour to create a stunningly fresh beachside fashion editorial. But we wanted more, so we sent them some questions and asked them to reflect on their creative work, and what excites them most about New Zealand Fashion.
In conversation: Rob Tennent with Te Manahou Mackay
Rob and Mana on… their early years
Rob: We met when I was 17, or I just turned 18. We were young. You were still drawing on your eyebrows. And I was still figuring myself out.
Mana: I did Instagram brows before Instagram brows were a thing.
Rob: I have photos of when we first met, and I think you’re eating a pizza in one of them. And then we didn’t really become friends until I was 20.
Mana: I came here [Sydney] for the first time and lived life, yeah. And then came back, and all of a sudden we were on the same frequency.
Rob: And then we shot, that was our first time shooting.
Mana: Oyster magazine!
Rob and Mana on… the life lessons
Rob: What is a lesson you’ve learned since you’ve moved away from New Zealand?
Mana: Understand that it’s a job and not personal. The standards of the industry and what the industry asks, does not define what is beautiful. They are parameters of a job. Love yourself, take really good care of yourself. Respect and be kind to everyone you work with, and if they’re awful, put them on a blacklist, and then never work with them again.
Rob: Exactly.
Mana: Also, learn about everything in the business, because it’s fascinating. That’s the most inspiring part. When you’re working in the fashion industry, especially from the modelling point of view, if you pay attention, you can learn about every facet of artistry in the industry. You can learn about lighting, makeup, beauty, styling, craftsmanship, finances, and the business side. If you’re really listening, you’re in the prime position to learn it all.
Rob: Something I always remind myself is, timing is always perfect for you. I remember when I was younger, I wanted everything at the same time. I didn’t shoot for FQ for three, four years, then now I get to shoot a cover. The universe has its plans and you just go with it. Things will happen when it’s supposed to happen.
Mana: Be okay with the waiting period, and know that that’s when you’re growing.
Rob: When we were younger we had so much drive and wanted to make shit happen. We still have that.
Mana: Which is good. We made shit happen.
Rob: But also you and I never waited for the doors to be open. We busted them down ourselves. But timing is key. And be kind to everyone around you.
Mana: Patience is key.
Rob: And say thank you.
Mana: Be grateful for everything. That’s something that I have struggled with in the past. But gratitude is everything. Everything’s a blessing.
Rob: Everyone that was on set for this cover, they took time out of their day to come and bring this to life and spend it with you. We are all very lucky.
Rob and Mana on… Aotearoa’s fashion industry
Rob: Do you have a favourite piece of clothing or accessory that reminds you of home?
Mana: I actually do, and it’s a pounamu from my dad. It’s usually hanging up above my bed, I take it with me everywhere. And when I need to be grounded, I hold it close to me. It’s broken in half, because it’s come with me everywhere, but I still have it.
Rob: I have one too, and it’s definitely that. I love wearing it out and then going for a swim, and that’s when I feel most connected. But I guess, because I didn’t grow up there, I feel like that was my tie to home.
Rob: What excites you the most about the future of New Zealand fashion?
Mana: Maori. On my last trip home, I spent a day with Kiri Nathan and she was showing me the culture that she was building there, about reviving lost Maori fashion and fabrication techniques and integrating them into the modern industry. I didn’t have a comprehension of how intricate design was pre colonisation and how much was lost. So, to see the work being put into reviving that is probably what’s exciting me the most about the future of New Zealand fashion.
Rob: What excites me about New Zealand fashion – I would say probably the younger generation, like the uni students and the fashion students and the creatives that are coming out now that everyone’s given them the space to fully create.
Rob and Mana on… success and coming back home
Rob: What does success mean to you, and has it changed since you started your career?
Mana: It definitely has changed since I started my career. Success to me now means being able to make art with my friends and spend days in joy, inspired, connected and feeling like we’re creating something together in harmony. Success, I guess, is feeling like I’m part of a community that I see deeply and they see me deeply back.
Rob: I love that.
Mana: What’s yours?
Rob: I love the last part. Feeling celebrated by your community and also being proud and happy of whatever you’re doing. You could be doing anything, as long as you’re doing it to the best of your ability, and you love what it is you’re doing. Do what makes you happy and do it well.
Mana: You know something’s off when you can’t rest your head on your pillow at night. So success, to me, is being able to just nestle into my pillow and know that that day was filled with love.
Rob: I’m just going day by day, being present, happy with everything that I’m doing. I always say, I would still shoot every day if it wasn’t my job. I still feel that way to this day, and I’ll stop doing photography when I stop feeling like that and move on to whatever is next.
Mana: I think that character trait is so important, and keeping the fashion industry filled with life and beauty, yeah, otherwise it just becomes a machine that moves products around, which is not why I’m here. I want to make art.
Rob: What are some grounding rituals in New Zealand?
Mana: Okay, so my grounding rituals in New Zealand are going to the Coromandel with Tama, my dog, for at least a week alone. And then spending maybe four or five hours hiking in the forest with him and just sitting and listening to the water and the birds and smelling the leaves. Then cooking meals for my family is really grounding to me. When I’m home, I’m always like cooking for everybody, because they all have jobs, obviously.
Rob: You do cook a lot.
Mana: I don’t cook when I’m by myself, but I cook for others. What about your grounding rituals?
Rob: I usually get my mum to pick me up from the airport, and then I’ll go straight home and do nothing for four days. Then I go say hi to the people that have been working at the cafe there for like, 10 years, and they’re like ‘Oh, my God, you’re back’.
Mana: I feel like those parts are the most grounding because you know when you’re out in the world and you’re hustling and you’re working, it’s kind of different. It’s an adult version of you. And then you go back and you see people that see you as a child, and they see the old version of you, and it’s like, I am still a little baby in here.
Rob and Mana on… the past, present, and shooting for FQ
Rob: Who was the first brand you worked for?
Mana: Zambesi. Zam fam – campaign and runway. I think it was 2017. I’m pretty sure it was that show. I walked and opened in a sheer dress.
Rob: One of my favourite looks you had during New Zealand Fashion Week was when Wynn did that show, and he had that red sunburn make-up.
Mana: Oh the sunburn make-up was gorgeous.
Rob: That collection was really good. You walked a million shows.
Rob: PG, Wynn, Wixii, those were some of the first brands to trust me. Kate Sylvester, I did three or four shoots with them, and they were amazing and always so supportive and collaborative.
Mana: She’s a good person.
Rob: She is.
Rob: What do you think makes the New Zealand fashion industry unique? You had a good answer for this.
Mana: I think New Zealand fashion is quiet, they steer clear of overt opulence, and instead, like to take a more anti fashion approach. So their version of luxury as in, like diamonds and silks, it’s more conceptual and architectural so I feel like that makes us unique.
Rob: How did it feel to be on set shooting this cover?
Mana: It felt so stress free, which is so rare on set, I think. But because we’re all such good friends, and everyone’s the best of the best and in their own lane, you can just relax and just enjoy and laugh and be silly. And those kinds of days I feel are rare. Are they rare for you?
Rob: Yeah, you get to choose your teams quite a lot. With you we already have such a friendship as well. I’ve shot you 100 million times, so I know what you like, and you trust me fully. The whole shoot I wanted it to feel like we were playing.
Mana: I think it’s my favourite shoot I’ve ever done.
Rob: I think it’s definitely mine as well.
