Designer: Ellena Tavioni
Based: Cook Islands

TAV's name is derived from that of the company's founder and Managing Director, Ellena Tavioni, a designer from a family of artists: sculptors, carvers, painters and poets who have influenced her life and work. Her career in the clothing industry began in 1980 and she opened her first store at the age of 19. Realising she needed experience in the fashion industry, she went on to study fashion design at the Melbourne College of Textiles for three years and obtained further skill by working in the clothing industry in Melbourne for an additional 2 years prior to returning to the Cook Islands and creating her dream - TAV.Designer: Ellena Tavioni
Based: Cook Islands

TAV's name is derived from that of the company's founder and Managing Director, Ellena Tavioni, a designer from a family of artists: sculptors, carvers, painters and poets who have influenced her life and work. Her career in the clothing industry began in 1980 and she opened her first store at the age of 19. Realising she needed experience in the fashion industry, she went on to study fashion design at the Melbourne College of Textiles for three years and obtained further skill by working in the clothing industry in Melbourne for an additional 2 years prior to returning to the Cook Islands and creating her dream - TAV.Established in 1987 TAV the brand represents the romance and escapism that is the mood of the Pacific by utilizing traditional motifs, sea life, flora and fauna patterns in print designs - namely block printing, hand painting and dip dyeing all of which are done by hand using various fabric paint and techniques. Printing is labour intensive using natural sunlight to dry prints prior to heat setting.

TAV specialises in Resort wear/ ready-to-wear with an emphasis on prints and designs derived from the natural environment and Polynesian traditions.

As each piece of fabric is created on the island of Rarotonga, TAV is able to produce orders of any size either small or large. The range of clothing is considered to be unique, comfortable to wear, of good quality and of medium to up-market in standard.

In 1994 TAV undertook the manufacturing of swimwear and further developed the resort-wear concept. This included the construction of a new building, the purchase of special machinery, consultants, staff training, the development and advancement of new printing techniques, promotional material for marketing abroad and continuous market analysis. Tav employs 20 staff with responsibilities ranging from printing, hand painting, pattern making, cutting, seamstress, finishing, quality control, retail, and administration. All employees are trained on the premises.

Latterly TAV has identified the export market as its focal point. Tourism has been a major influence in providing this direction and the move towards swimwear and resort wear. The export market is now TAV's major source of income followed by the visitor market to the Cook Islands. Sales to the local market are also a vital part of Tav's business.

TAV now exports to Australia, NZ, Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa and other Pacific Islands. The label has also been exported to countries as far as London, the South of France and the United Arab Emirates

For the past two years, TAV has participated in New Zealand Fashion Week, a major achievement for the company which Ellena regards as one of the highlights of her career.

On a personal level, Ellena is married with three children at school. She works tirelessly to support community causes (she was a founder of the private school Te Uki Ou) and has featured in many regional tabloids and magazines in which she has been identified as one of the pioneers of "Pacific Branding" in the Pacific Islands region (reported by Pacific Magazine, Sep-Oct 2006).She has also won many national business awards including the coveted "Cook Islands Woman of the Year award in 2006.

Photo by Michael Ng/Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2008

21/09/08