BTS Stories – Trevor Masoe on Pacific Runway

Trevor Masoe

Hair Director - Pacific Runway 2016-18

1. What do you feel is the impact and legacy of Pacific Runway for the Pacific communities?

Pacific Runway is the original platform that highlighted not only Pacifica fashion but also Pacifica Beauty, and resonating more for me, Pacifica Creativity.

The legacy of Pacific Runway from the inside is the binding of all the close knit professional relationships made between all the creatives, who individually… were the minorities in our industries.

Together though, we are a proven Force! Pacific Runway solidified those strong relationships that most of us all maintain to this day.

From the outside, Pacific Runway’s legacy to me is representation on a massive scale for our people. Somewhere where our people could see themselves, a place in the fashion industry where we could identify with people who live in our skin, our hair, our beauty, our style.

Trevor Masoe awarded Shannon Williams the Beauty Stylist of The Year Award at PAC Gala 2025. – Image by Thomas Su

2. Jannike Seiuli is…

A powerhouse. One of the strongest and most resilient people I have the pleasure of knowing. I have so much admiration for her vision, her work ethic and her leadership.

Trevor Masoe and Jannike Seiuli, backstage pre show, Pacific Runway 2017

3. Favourite memories?

Most of my best memories are from the show prep. The backstage full of Pacifica creatives, designers and models backstage. The vibe was just indescribable! The fond memories of my team lined up for final touch ups, as each model stepped out onto the runway warms my heart, but… the best Pacific Runway related memory I have was in the off season and offstage.

I was at a bar at home in Brisbane and a girl approached me and asked if I was the Hair Director from Pacific Runway. She said to me, “the big hair you designed for Pacific Runway is what inspired me to wear my hair natural again”. My life was made!

4. The best year/s?
The best years were 2016, 2017 & 2018. The years I was Hair Director of course. Haha, but if I had to choose one only, I would have to say 2016.

In 2016 my salon was just voted into Brisbane’s Top 10 Hairdresser’s and Jannike had approached me to lead the Hair Team.

It was my big debut and I was ready. I headhunted a killer team of uber talented Pacifica Hairstylists from each major city on the east coast and boy were they confident and passionate.
We came, we slayed, we snatched.

5. How did you decide the LOOK of the years you were involved?
I always tried to draw inspiration from our own beautiful Pacifica girls and collaborated the concepts with what I thought was hot in the fashion industry at the time.

I can remember my first year I did a really sleek almost wet look, which was inspired by the glossy coconut oil my grandmother would adorn her hair in

… but I distributed the styling inspired by what I had seen in a Balmain show that year.

Balmain because at the time it was one of the only high end labels pushing diverse ethnic girls on their runways.

Another look that was iconic would definitely be the big hair! During my years as a Hairdresser I was tired if seeing so much flat ironing from our Pacifica girls and after a little chat with my 11 year old Samoan, Cook Island, Tongan niece; she told me she thought straight hair was prettier than her own curly locks.. That was when I decided on doing the big, brushed out natural textured hair. I put that look down the runway all three years.