When Finland decided to stage Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," a creative team from Hawai'i was asked for help. The Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland called on Hawaii Opera Theatre to provide direction (Henry Akina, HOT general and artistic director), stage sets (Dean Shibuya, architect and set designer) and costumes (Anne Namba, fashion and costume designer) for an opera that will be staged in July.

Local folks may find it a challenge to fly to Finland for the full production, but HOT is planning a fundraiser that will offer a glimpse of the sets (via video) and 25 of the costumes (on the runway). Those in attendance will also hear three of the opera's most popular arias, among them "Un Bel Di," sung by Jacqueline Horten.

Namba created 120 costumes for the production, including a layered wedding kimono for Cio-Cio-San. "I wanted to design costumes for Madama Butterfly that were not traditional Japanese wear, yet wanted it very apparent that it was Japanese inspired," Namba said.

"Many of the costumes are made from authentic kimono and obis, but executed in more modern interpretations of traditional wear," she said. "I've also developed a print with a butterfly motif, especially for the opera, and utilized the flowing qualities of the silk to create movement."

Interspersed with the costumes, Namba will show about 50 of her Butterfly Collection pieces, which will be offered for sale after the show.

"Since we all grew up in Hawai'i, each of us brings our unique awareness of Asian culture tempered with our diverse backgrounds to the project," Akina said.

Jukka Pohjolaiinen, production director, will be here for the Hawai'i event.