The winners of this year’s iD International Emerging Designer Awards have been announced to a sell-out crowd in Dunedin.
And it appears the future of fashion is in good hands, head judge and designer Tanya Carlson says.
The garments of 11 New Zealand finalists and five Australian finalists were showcased on the runway on Saturday night before the premiere screening of 2021 iD International Emerging Designer Awards Film at the Otago Museum.
The film, which includes footage of the 41 finalists designs, is an innovative addition to the awards to deal with Covid-19 travel restrictions preventing most international finalists from attending.
Her designs are inspired by modular transformable structures and shapes, using a combination of raw processed materials and regenerated materials that move organically around the body.
Min-Yan Tsai, from Shih Chien University in Taiwan, was awarded second place with her collection "Flourish Tumulus".
Her silhouettes are drawn from samurai armour and military uniforms from World War II, and the black and white colour palate plays on the idea of camouflage patterns and inspiration from chess pieces.
Third place went to "Put on - Take Off" by Mengzhe (Justin) Chi, from Fashion Institute of Technology in the United States of America.
The playful collection makes wearing clothing more interactive, with each look including an assembly instruction book, allowing consumers to purchase pre-cut fabric and follow steps to make their own garment.
“It’s encouraging to see that the future of fashion is in good hands.
"There is an overarching move towards an intimate process of creativity and hand-making, with a number of students incorporating hand knitting in their collections."
All emerging designers engaged in sustainable practice and all shared a desire to create fashion which left a lighter footprint, she said.
The winners of the evening also included New Zealand’s Lydia Paine, a graduate of Massey University, who was named Viva Best NZ Emerging Designer.
Research for her "Mother & Mode" collection uncovered her grandparents knitting, smocking and cobbling skills, inspiring her to create a collection with a deeper, sustainable bond.
She used off-kilter prints and odd silhouettes to explore the experiences of growing up in a society that rewards convention and passivity, rather than originality, passion and individuality.
iD Dunedin Most Sustainable Collection was awarded to Olivia Rubens, from London College of Fashion in Canada.
Her collection "Duplicitous Lives" took about 10 collaborations to create including, working with an Estonian accessories designer to make chainmail miniature corsets, sourcing mohair and fleece from a UK farmer and working with an Irish company to dye yarns and fabric.
iD Dunedin Fashion Inc. chairwoman and Otago Polytechnic fashion professor Dr Margo Barton thanked the global jury for their time and experience, as well as the hundreds of volunteer hours required to bring the show to the stage and celebrate the world’s emerging designers.
• The 2021 film will play at the Otago Museum until Sunday next week, and will be on the iD website from Monday.
