Fiji, the Hupfeld Hoerder label to be exact, will be represented at the New York Fashion Week this year by an artist who intends to make good an invitation to participate at a fashion designers' mecca.

Hoerder has not allowed age to dictate his passion for designing garments that established his name.

A day job has been a necessary evil but it has never stopped him from putting out a few pieces for the catwalk once he's put his mind to participating.

Hoerder did more than impress at the November Islands of the World Fashion Week at the Bahamas; scoring himself a ticket to the New York Fashion Week.He says the Bahamas trip was well worth the costs incurred.

"It was a collection I put together with much thought. The Bahamas organisers were very particular and I made sure I met al the pre-requisites," Hoerder ISLANDS BUSINESS.

"Most started asking 'where's Fiji?' when they met me after the show. It was an exhilarating experience because when you're out there-it is not as a Rotuman or part-European or whatever, it is about being from Fiji and the Pacific."

The Hupfeld Hoerder label first hit the catwalk outside Fiji when Hoerder took his label to the Noumea 2001 Pacific Arts Festival.

He applied online for a chance to get into the Bahamas show: having participated in previous fashion shows, years of experience, previous awards and regional exposure-all pre-requisites he met comfortably.

Entitled Bula Fiji, his collection reflected the tropics: earthy colours and different shades of the ocean; tangerine hinted at our sunsets and some of the pieces carried his trademark magimagi.

One particular piece is draped with mother pearls, cut in exact sizes and painstakingly hand-sewn on to the dress. The pearls and mother peals were given to him as a gift by a faithful client.

At Bahamas, Hoerder showcased 25 pieces encompassing casual resort wear, prêt-a-porter and haute couture. He complemented each piece with accessories - mainly his own creations.

He stamped his mark amongst the 32 countries as the lone representative from the Pacific. And with his pieces submitted to the cultural and eco-categories, Fiji was the only country that was a finalist in both categories.

"I intend to take my pieces and inevitably a piece of Fiji to New York and Los Angeles," he says.

He is determined that despite the costs, he is going to be there.

"We have so much to offer to these shows, but we have to make the standards.

"These international runways are not somewhere where one can simply slap things together and have a show.

"We can contribute with something new at these shows; we should not be intimidated by how differently we do things or use our accessories."

In all his pieces, Hoerder pays homage to mother earth and incorporates the old and the new.

Bahamas gave Hoerder the international stage he's been bidding his time for. It was a glamorous affair where interviews with big-time fashion magazines were the next best thing to having a buyer knocking on your door.

But to be invited to the 2009 New York Fashion Week is the icing on the cake that even Fiji as a country can benefit from, thanks to an academic who sleeps only for two hours a night for the love of fabric and accessories and what they are capable of becoming.