One of two Otago Polytechnic graduates chosen as finalists in the Emerging Designer Awards, Ellen Ross said sustainable clothing was the key to making a positive impact in fashion.
Ms Ross found out last week that her creations would hit the stage in the 2023 iD Dunedin Fashion Week, an event she was nervous about taking part in, but felt she was prepared.
"I’ve had a bit of a practice run. We did a show down at the polytech... It’s given me a taste of what it’s going to be like but I’m a bit nervous."
She said sustainability and reuse were a starting point when creating her collection, titled "Onset", for the awards.
"There’s a lot of things going on in our world right now that are leaning towards being more sustainable," she said.
"I felt like within what I was doing I should make an effort to make a positive impact rather than a negative impact."
Ms Ross’s statement piece was the denim patchwork outfit she had "upcycled" from op-shop castoffs.
It was not the first time she had made a denim patchwork piece, but this time she had tried a different technique when dyeing the fabric to reduce water waste.
"I worked into it with screening clothing dye on to the fabric. That reduced the amount of water that I had to use and also the amount of dye that would be washed away
"I wanted to look at reusing materials and up-cycling things that were already in existence."
Ms Ross said to be chosen as a finalist was a "very special honour" as many amazing designers had applied for the award.
"It sort of validates all my hard work for the year as well."
In the future she planned to start her own label, with sustainability as the focus.
She said the awards would give her the opportunity to network and meet others in the industry she could potentially collaborate with.
"I want to be making things that people are going to have for a long time and hopefully some day become vintage pieces of their own."
