Dunedin designers’ talents showcased

Port Chalmers’ designer Simone Montgomery won the Open Avante Garde section at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards with this design. PHOTOS: MICHAEL CURREEN

Otago designers shone at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, in Gore, particularly in the the Upcycled section, finds Rebecca Fox.

From a design featuring live vegetables, to pink wool shorts, and a sleek black suit, Dunedin designers’ imaginations and talents were showcased at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, held in Gore recently.

It was particularly evident in the Open Upcycled section where Dunedin designers Judith Agnew and Lochiel Kay were winner and runner-up respectively, and Roxburgh designer Elaine Booth was highly commended, making it an Otago scoop of that section.

Their works were among 188 entries, involving 258 garments, which were seen by a sell-out crowd of 1300 people across two nights at the Gore Town and Country Club.

Kay, a graduate of the Otago Polytechnic Fashion Design School, also won the Best Use of Wool award and was highly commended in the Open Men’s Fashion section.

"It’s a cool opportunity to get your designs out there."

Agnew was delighted with her win - a design made from suits she discovered while working as a volunteer at Dunedin’s hospice opportunity shop.

"When the suits came in I thought, ‘I could upcycle those’, so that’s what I did, I chopped them up. The shirts and everything were made from second-hand clothes."

A model wears a design by Lochiel Kay (right), of Dunedin, which won the Best Use of Wool Award.

Last year she entered a garment made from old tyre inner tubes and this year’s entry was a family affair with her children’s girlfriends helping out with modelling and photography.

"My mother taught me to sew when I was 3 years old and I’ve sewn all my life."

She said her work at the hospice shop highlighted not only how much people threw out, but also the popularity of upcycling.

Port Chalmers designer Simone Montgomery, winner of the awards in 2014, won the Open Avante Garde section with her male outfit designed as a commentary on the challenges faced in today’s world with climate change, the pandemic, food security and challenges to worker individuality made by the World Economic Forum.

"I just like making stuff. The garment is very over-the-top Renaissance Henry the VIII style."

In that period, clothing was oversized so she has emphasised that, using the width of the garment as a indicator of the need for social distancing, the kilt instead of tights reflecting gender fluidity, suspenders reflecting the English worker and the living plants showing a need for people to grow their own food.

Otago Polytechnic students also did well in the awards with Tegan Rose Vickery runner-up in the Open Avante Garde section and Jess Long runner-up in the Open Natural Fibres section.