What is
SixOneNine?
It’s a thread that binds us back to our hometown.
It’s an anchor that keeps us humble.
It’s a beacon that we light up in our children.
It’s our past, present and future distilled down into three little numbers.
It’s the last three digits of our Nan’s phone number.
Something so small that speaks volumes about her importance to us and our whanau.
Our vision for SixOneNine is tied to the values laid down in our childhood – to do good work, to showcase Māori and Pasifika talent, to build up our people and be proud of who we are and where we come from.
Our vision is to tell stories through a decolonised Māori/Pasifika lense, to proudly speak our truth and acknowledge that Aotearoa is a nation built on many narratives, not just one mainstream story. Initially we aim to provide high quality, professional design work but as we grow we want to offer mentorship, networking and development opportunities for our people.
Phila and Carmen are the husband and wife team behind SixOneNine. They have been married for seven years and have four children. Their aim is to build a company that contributes towards a world their children can be proud of by championing diversity, difference in thought and building up the wider community.
Phila trained as a Designer in Auckland at AUT University. He has worked in the Advertising and Branding industry for almost 15 years. He is proud to have worked at both big and small agencies and gained experience in both environments.
But over time a little seed has grown inside him, a desire to move away from mainstream work and to focus on his passion which is for Māori and Pasifika Design, so in 2020 – SixOneNine was born.
He is proud of his Māori/Niuean heritage that has largely influenced the way he views the world, his career and ultimately who he is as a Designer. Phila’s childhood was spent growing up in Manutuke surrounded by whanau and friends, just two doors down from his Marae. It is still a priority to go home several times a year and give his kids a taste of what it’s like to be part of the East Coast community.
Carmen does the ‘businessy’ stuff, mostly in the background. Her experience is largely within the corporate world in Research, Strategy and Commercial decision making. She keeps us focused on our purpose, helps give projects structure and makes sure we pay the bills. Sometimes she consults on projects that require a bit more strategic thinking or ideates on how to scale concepts up. She is a bit more global than Phila with her life spent across Papua New Guinea, Australia, Denmark and New Zealand. We look forward to meeting and working beside you.
We're about conversations because great design always starts with a conversation.
SixOneNine is a Māori and Pasifika focused Design agency committed to listening, hearing our clients
and crafting that conversation into a creative solution.
Yes we do Great Design
Yes we do Clever Strategy
Yes we Build Brands
Yes we Solve Problems with Creative Ideas
But mostly we walk beside you to generate authentic creative ideas with heart.
We would love to talanoa | kōrero about your next project...
phila.lagaluga@619.nz
021 165 5970
carmen.sutton@619.nz
027 650 9052
