Creating a wardrobe for a pageant is no small task. The brief is to be fashionable, culturally grounded, and proudly local. For Miss Suva and Miss Hibiscus 2025, the challenge goes beyond creating beautiful garments. They aim to showcase Suva as the creative and cultural heart of Fiji. It is a city where innovation, enterprise, and heritage all bloom together.
That vision led the team to Wasa Ni Tadra—meaning “Ocean of Dreams”. It is an iTaukei-owned screen-printing and creative arts business. Its story is as inspiring as the designs it produces.
A Family’s Ocean Dream
Wasa Ni Tadra was founded by Laisenia Seru. It began more than three decades ago with a dream. The founder had a love for design and an eye for colour and craft. A small home-based printing venture started it all. It has become one of Fiji’s most respected family-run creative enterprises. This journey is a testament to patience, skill, and adaptability.
Lai’s early experiences with Suva’s design pioneers were instrumental in shaping his understanding of artistry. These pioneers included Tiki Togs, Xoolu Enterprise, and Big Island Graphics. His early experiences also enhanced his grasp of business. “Sea life, with all its colours, inspires me,” he once shared. “The limitless ocean can take you anywhere.” It’s a metaphor that fits perfectly: an ocean of creativity guided by faith, family, and purpose.
Today, Lai, his wife Salome, and their daughters Penelope and Sala work side by side. Together, they manage production, operations, and their digital brand, Lolani Boutique. They create work that bridges generations. Their work uplifts the next wave of Fijian talent.
Culture as the Anchor
Wasa Ni Tadra recently joined the Miss Suva 2025 wardrobe project as the Official Fabric Manufacturer. The partnership begins as a collaboration between Wasa Ni Tadra, KUIVITI Pacific, and UKUU Fiji.
The goal is to create fabrics that carry layers of meaning in the outfits that Miss Suva will wear during her reign. This is fabric art, which is inspired by Fijian motifs, symbols, and landscapes. Wasa Ni Tadra is committed to giving Fiji’s designers a platform to produce made-in-Fiji garments that reflect Fiji’s identity, not just its aesthetic.
With Sala and Penelope Seru now carrying forward Wasa Ni Tadra’s creative legacy, this partnership also embodies Miss Suva’s advocacy for culture, creative industries and youth empowerment.
As Suva prepares to celebrate 70 years of the Hibiscus Festival, this collaboration reminds us that the city’s true beauty lies not only in its blooms, but in the people and stories that continue to make it the creative heart of Fiji.
Resilience and Vision
Like many small Pacific businesses, Wasa Ni Tadra faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, temporarily closing their Suva boutique. But rather than stepping back, they adapted — moving operations online and later reopening with renewed energy and focus.
Through the Fiji Enterprise Engine (FEE) accelerator programme, the Seru family strengthened their approach to branding, financial management, and long-term planning. “For almost 20 years, I ran our business with what I knew,” Lai said. “Now, we’re learning how to take it even further.”
That spirit of continuous learning—balancing experience with innovation—has kept Wasa Ni Tadra thriving as both a business and a creative force.
Weaving the Future
Every print that leaves Wasa Ni Tadra’s studio carries a story about Suva—its colours, its resilience, and its people. Through this collaboration, Miss Suva’s wardrobe becomes more than fashion; it becomes a narrative of identity and place—one that honours Fiji’s heritage while embracing the possibilities of tomorrow.
In every thread of fabric, in every bloom of colour, Wasa Ni Tadra continues to remind us. Those who dare to dream shape Fiji’s creative future. These are the people who work together to make those dreams real.
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