Teamwork makes the dreamwork. Ask Lauren Lees-Va'ai of Rimani Samoa and she will tell you just that, having ticked the box at the LIFE-Con Season 5 finale last Saturday evening.  

After showcasing more than 20 garments during the fashion show at Taumeasina Island Resort, Mrs. Va'ai told the Samoa Observer that she is now reflecting on what she described as a "challenging" journey this year.

She paid tribute to the hard work and effort of her team whom she said deserves recognition for the effort they put into the show. 

"I just know that I would not have been able to deliver what was showcased on Saturday night, if I did not have the support of the people, who had worked and sacrificed a lot for this show," Mrs. Va'ai said.

"Being a part of this year's show was such a memorable experience and despite the challenges we faced, we managed to pull through and for that I am grateful. 

"Overall, I am very happy of our own preparations as it took us less than two months to prepare for the show. The glory goes back to our heavenly father for his guidance and provision. We would not have been able to pull that through if it weren't for him."

But it has not been easy for one of Samoa's fashion designers as Mrs. Va'ai recollected the extra work they had to do, especially with the borders opening. 

"It hasn't been an easy journey and for us here, it was extra work for us because we did not want to put on hold the work that we do on a daily basis especially with borders opening up. 

"But it was an extra mile we were willing to take because we saw this as a very good platform to showcase our work and the talents that our Rimani team has been blessed with. 

"So yes, there were a lot of factors to overcome especially as it required a lot of time and money but I can honestly say that it was worth it."

Initially they prepared 18 outfits for the finale night, according to Mrs. Va'ai, with four outfits for the photoshoot and two for the launching.

"So we did more than a 20 outfits in less than two months for LIFE-Con, on top of our daily orders, not only from our customers in Samoa but also those residing abroad," she said. 

Mrs. Va'ai, who started out as just a general store owner, also acknowledged the organisers and the LIFE-Con Director for creating and continuing such a great platform for all designers in Samoa. 

"It is a great initiative and provides an amazing opportunity for any designer to showcase their work, passion and talents," she said. 

Mrs. Va'ai added she could not resist her passion for the different kinds of materials and designs, so after selling just printed fabrics at her old store, in 2015 she started her own fashion line and consequently the birth of Rimani Samoa. 

And she has not stopped since then. The overall objectives of Rimani is about comfortable island wear and beauty in different sizes, color, style and background. They believe in dressing your inner beauty through customised wear to give you the confidence and be empowered.

Last Saturday night, Rimani's collection according to Mrs. Va'ai was inspired by the daily struggles of life in Samoa. 

"You know I have eight staff whose work had not been affected because of COVID-19 as we know that this is their bread and butter and we create pieces to tell their stories through clothes," she said. 

"We also face a lot of chaos in our daily lives and we try to put those stories through our designs so they can be turned into something beautiful for others to see. 

"And I know they were proud to see their work being displayed on Saturday night. I was also proud of our work because we have worked so hard and did not get enough sleep trying to put together or outfits for the show. 

"On top of our preparations, we also had to keep our store running and make sure that we satisfy our customers who come in to our store for different outfits.

"We understand that this platform is a great way of showcasing our work for the world to see and we did not want to let that opportunity go. 

"I get inspirations from the everyday people and the struggles that we face. Whenever people come in for outfits, I always try to come up with styles and patterns to represent their personality so that the outfit becomes part of you." 

Mrs. Va'ai said this is why it was easy for her to create ideas for her collection and line as it was built around people and how they cope with life and celebration of life. 

"I knew who my models were and understand their personalities and it really helped us create what was displayed on Saturday night," she said. 

"I didn't realise that there was this big challenge in terms of money until the borders open and we had people coming into our store and bulk buy things from us. 

"It was like it was something new to us because for more than two years, we had to sell or stuff at half price just to make money and we had to sacrifice other things so we can keep our workers here with us and keep the shop afloat. 

"And for this year's show, we were better prepared even though money and time weren't on our side but we managed to pull through."

Mrs. Va'ai then expressed her sincere gratitude to her hardworking team who helped put her vision into reality on Saturday night, saying she would not have done it alone. 

"To our hardworking friends from Joes Gym who modelled our outfits beautifully. We appreciate their time and effort to turn up on time for rehearsals, photoshoots and everything. To our hard working staff and designing team for making all the outfits and printing on time. 

"To our clients who had to wait for their orders while we complete our show pieces. To our Music Tech Genius, Emmanuel Lemoa for making our song piece flow and enjoyable for the catwalk. 

"We enjoy dressing our people and it's satisfying seeing them happy and satisfied. We also had a couple of constructive feedback from some of the people we prepared outfits for, but that's part of life. 

"And we learn from those mistakes and constructive comments and help us improve moving forward."