Contacts:

Fusikaunanga Kupu

Marketing, Digicel Tonga

Mobile: +676 841 5019

Email: fusi.kupu@digicelgroup.com

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TONGA TO SHOW THEIR CULTURE, TALENT AND ORIGINALITY!

Tuesday 12^th July 2011: Digicel (Tonga) and New Zealand’s biggest names in fashion offer once in a lifetime opportunity for Tongan Fashion Designers at the ‘Rugby World Cup 2011’.

Ten talented Tongan designers recently competed in the DIGICEL WARDROBE WARRIOR fashion design competition. Designers were offered the opportunity to have their creations represent The Kingdom of Tonga at STYLE PASIFIKA International Design Collection runway show being held during the biggest sporting event of 2011.

The winner of the DIGICEL WARDROBE WARRIOR fashion design competition, Sione Liafail Maileseni of Kolomotu’a, was announced on-air by Kitione Mokofisi. Four other designers from the competition were also announced to make up the ‘top 5’; Diane Pole’o, Filipe Simoneti, Meleane Langi and Frederick Na’a. The four runners up were offered the chance to have their designs couriered to New Zealand by Digicel to show in a separate Style Pasifika Catwalk event, also during the World Cup.

The designs were required to incorporate three themes; ‘Tonga’, ‘New Zealand’ and ‘Rugby-its values and its ethics.’ Each candidate was required to design their own garment incorporating the themes and present their designs to the judges.

The Designs were judged by two world renowned fashion designers from New Zealand, Denise L’estrange –Corbet founder and creative director of WORLD design and Liz Mitchell founder of the LIZ MITCHEL label who were brought to the Kingdom to judge the event courtesy of Air New Zealand and Forum Travel.

Jack Bourke, Digicel (Tonga) Commercial Manager says “It’s such a wonderful opportunity for Digicel Tonga to support such a major Cultural event here in the Pacific. The people of Tonga are so creative and vibrant and here is a platform to showcase this to the world. Another important part to this is that Style Pasifika will be on during the final stages of the Rugby World Cup. All eyes will be on New Zealand during this time and you never know but perhaps the winning garment from Tonga may end up in the designer shops across the world.”

The winner of DIGICEL WARDROBE WARRIOR will represent the Kingdom of Tonga at the STYLE PASIFIKA International Design Collection runway show in New Zealand.  Prize package includes a return airfare to New Zealand plus transfers, accommodation and spending money. The Runway will be held as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival during the Rugby World Cup in Auckland New Zealand. STYLE PASIFIKA will be held on the 18th and the 19th of October, 2011, this is between the semi-final and final of the Rugby World Cup held in New Zealand.

About Digicel

After nine years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 11 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.

Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.

In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.

Visit www.digicelgroup.com  for more information.