What could you make out of $10 worth of second-hand curtains? If we asked that question of Daniella Sasvári the answer is a visually stunning, award-winning costume. The costume is titled New Zealand in My Eyes.

Daniella’s inspiration for the costume, came from a combination of Māori myths, represented by the tree, fire and ferns on the front, as well as the organic nature of the rural landscape, complete with sheep, between Turakina and Rānana, as shown on the back.

Made of four parts – skirt, bodice, hair clip and bustle-petticoat, the costume took approximately 300 hours to create. Daniella even made her own chenille yarn by layering the curtain fabrics on top of each other before cutting and fraying the edges. Chenille is the French word for ‘caterpillar’ where the yarn resembles its fur. She used the basting foot of her sewing machine like a pencil to sketch the patterns of the landscape as she attached her home-made chenille.

The costume was originally made for the 2008 World of Wearable Arts Awards but was not accepted as it was too intricate and would not have stood out enough on stage. It went on to win the Taranaki Arts Award, the Wearable Advertising competition for the House of Art and Framing and was worn by the NZ contestant in the Miss Teen World Beauty Pageant. Daniella’s view of Aotearoa New Zealand was seen far and wide. She donated the costume to the Museum in 2010. 

Daniella, who was born in Hungary, immigrated to Whanganui in 2007 with her husband and two young children. Before immigrating Daniella had been a costume designer for a theatre company for 10 years. In Hungary, many theatres are state funded and have a full production calendar. Her role each year, saw her creating costumes for six large stage productions, at least two children’s productions and several smaller shows.

Settling into New Zealand with a different language, culture and with two young children was a challenge. She had a job offer from Whanganui’s Kooky Designer Fashion but had to wait a year to start work because of immigration issues. However, more difficulty and hardships arose when Daniella’s husband died in 2010, leaving her a single mother without permanent residency. It was not until 2012 that she obtained permanent residency.

Daniella’s creative endeavours helped her work through the turmoil of her life.  In 2010 she entered WOW again, and this time was selected. She went on to be selected nearly every year since with some success. She won honourable mention in the WOW Weta Costume & Film section in 2014, was a finalist in 2019, and in 2015 won the Sustainability Award. This award gave her the financial assistance to go on and complete extra study. In 2016 she went to UCOL Whanganui and obtained a graphic design diploma and then in 2017 she studied at The Learning Connexion and obtained an art degree, followed by a diploma in adult education and an advanced diploma in art and creativity.

Daniella has a studio in Aramoho, Whanganui where she describes herself as “an eclectic painter and mixed media artist”. Her art is a combination of the symbolism of different cultures, different periods as well as her Hungarian heritage. As demonstrated by the costume, her art celebrates the rich diversity and the vast beauty of the world we live in.

By Trish Nugent-Lyne, Pou Tiaki/Collections & Curatorial Lead at Whanganui Regional Museum

‘New Zealand in my eyes’ wearable art outfit
Made by Daniella Sasvari, 2008
Made from silk, cotton, nylon and glass beads
Donated by Daniella Sasvari, 2010
WRM 2010.50.1

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