INSPIRING ISLANDER - LIZ MCGREGOR: Award-winning Tongan costume designer’s journey to the top

By Mabel Muller 

A passion for film and fashion is what’s driven an award-winning Tongan costume designer to thrive in the industry for three decades.

Liz McGregor, who hails from Kolomotu’a, Tongatapu, is best known for her leading design work in the live-action remake of Mulan and television series The New Legends of Monkey.

Get a glimpse of some of Liz' award winning costume designs & styling in 'The new legends of Monkey' season 2 trailer below - 

Born and raised in the small friendly islands, McGregor’s love for film developed from living a simple and humble island life.

“In Tonga we didn’t have TV back in the 70s and what we did was we went to the movies in the weekend… It was such a kind of spectacle. I was just so mesmerised by this whole kind of world that was out there outside of this little island that I lived in,” she said.

Meanwhile, fashion for McGregor was a distant thought that was only discovered after her family moved to New Zealand when she was 11 years old.

“We were running around [in Tonga] barefoot and wore whatever our parents gave you…

“When we moved to NZ I discovered fashion… For me it was this huge revelation as well…People really cared about the way they dressed and it was something that really piqued my interest. That’s when I decided I wanted to work in fashion.”

While working in a fashion factory in New Lynn and studying at the Auckland University of Technology, McGregor landed her first gig, through a friend, as a hand stitcher on The Piano.

“I didn’t even know that there was a film industry in New Zealand … For me it was kind of this lightning bolt where I just all of a sudden realised I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and it was this job,” she said.

“Not only did it involve fashion, it was making clothing which I’d always been interested in and it involved film which I’m absolutely obsessed with.”

The hand-stitcher role opened doors of opportunity for McGregor, giving her an experience of a lifetime.

“That one day turned into 30 years… It’s taken me around the world. It’s given me a great life. I’ve met incredible people, incredible experiences.

“I’ve worked in Africa, Mozambique, Prague, all around the [United] States, Australia, Europe… I’ve been fortunate enough that practically all of these experiences have been great ones for me.”

In 2021, McGregor and her team won the Costume Designers Guilds Award for Mulan, and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design/Styling in 2019 for her work in The New Legends of Monkey.

“Sometimes I sit on the couch watching TV and think, ‘Isn’t it funny that statue, that so many people work to try to get, is sitting in our little house’,” she laughed.

But contrary to the glitz and glam of film and television, McGregor said she’s had to do the hard yards to reach the top job.

“I’ve basically done every job in the costume department. I’ve cut, I’ve sewn, I’ve worked in breakdown, I’ve worked as a buyer… 

“I am really hands-on…Living as a Tongan, crafts was a huge part … I learnt to weave and lalanga … I learnt to make things with my hands … Sitting with my aunties while they made ngatu, sitting with them while they made mats out of pandunus leaves late into the night …

“I work a minimum of about 11 hours a day. I leave in the dark and I get home in the dark.  My family knows that when I’m doing a job they won’t see me for a number of months.”

Many of the projects McGregor’s been involved with have been overseas and have required weeks, sometimes months away from home.

“It all sounds very glamorous but you’re living in a hotel room or someone else’ apartment. You’re never in your own true space…”

Nowadays, the designer, who is based in Auckland and married with a teenage son, has turned down many offshore jobs that would keep her away from home for long periods.

“Working with the film industry certainly isn’t a normal job… It takes up a lot of your life. You’ve got to be pretty passionate about it to hang in there,” she said.

And although it’s been 30 years, there is no sign of the designer hanging up her tools anytime soon.

“I feel really fortunate and I count my blessings every day I wake up, that I’m able to do a job that I love. Not a lot of people get to do that. I just thank God that I’ve been able to stumble in on an industry that supports my love and passion.”

McGregor is currently working on a local film, The Convert, directed by Lee Tamahori.

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