Ellen Whippy-Knight has taken the reins as managing director of Fiji Fashion Week as the event approaches its 20th year, a milestone that will make it the longest-running fashion week in the Pacific. Speaking about the anniversary, Whippy-Knight said the festival’s longevity is the product of "resilience, adaptability and personal sacrifice" — including frequent interventions by her and her husband to plug funding gaps that threaten the event’s survival.
Whippy-Knight’s stewardship of Fiji Fashion Week is rooted in a deep sense of heritage and public service. She traces her lineage to Ratu Qomate Ritova, one of the 13 chiefs who signed the Deed of Cession, and to David Whippy, an early American settler from Nantucket who was involved in the historic agreement. Her grandmother, Adi Salanieta Ritova, was among Fiji’s first female chiefs and held the title Tui Labasa. "It means that my family is intrinsically linked to the history of Fiji," she said, adding that those links instilled a responsibility to nation-building through the creative sector.
Running the region’s premier fashion event, Whippy-Knight stresses, is not a lucrative enterprise. Organisers rely on sponsorships, ticket sales and partnerships, and annual costs run into the "hundreds of thousands of dollars." Where sponsorships fall short, she and her husband have covered shortfalls personally, describing their contributions as a form of philanthropy: "If we didn’t do that, Fiji Fashion Week would not exist." She also warned against the common misconception that fashion weeks generate large profits, noting that even major international events have struggled financially in recent years.
Beyond staging runway shows, Whippy-Knight frames fashion as an ecosystem that supports livelihoods across multiple sectors — from designers, tailors and small manufacturers to photographers, event crews and retailers. "It’s not just about a dress on the runway," she said. Yet she maintains the industry is under-supported in Fiji, particularly in technical training, infrastructure and access to quality materials. To address those gaps she is publicly advocating for a national design school to nurture talent across disciplines, and for small-run production factories to help designers scale without losing local identity. She also calls for policy changes to reduce the cost of importing quality fabrics that local designers rely on.
Whippy-Knight’s remit extends beyond fashion. Last year she led the revival of the Hibiscus Festival for its 70th anniversary, stepping in with only weeks to prepare and managing to secure significant sponsorship support in a matter of days. She and her team rebuilt key elements of the festival and expanded participation in the Miss Hibiscus pageant; with more planning time this year she says she hopes to restore the festival’s vibrancy and organisation for the capital.
This year’s twin milestones — Fiji Fashion Week nearing its 20th edition and the Hibiscus Festival’s 70th — coincide with a personal one: Whippy-Knight marks her own 70th birthday. She describes the achievements as major but insists the work is unfinished, calling on government, private sector and cultural institutions to back structural changes that can turn creative potential into sustainable employment and export opportunities for Fiji’s designers and artisans.