More than 120 entries from 20 countries flowed in for the 2011 iD International Emerging Designer Awards, the only fashion competition of its kind in New Zealand.
Those entries were whittled down to 29 finalists, all of whom will unleash their creative and inspirational use of textiles and new fabric technologies on more than 1200 people in Dunedin next month.
The iD International Emerging Designer Awards are now in their seventh year and allow Otago Polytechnic fashion students the opportunity to show their wares alongside those coming out of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world.
The show is on Thursday, April 7, at 7pm at the Lion Foundation Arena.
Yue Hui (Faye) Ma
Featuring a tight colour palette of black, white, grey and blue, each outfit of her "Impower" collection reflects a movement from powerless to powerful.
"From outfit one to outfit five, I move from dark to brighter colours, from loose fit to close fit, and from droopy and floppy to a structured silhouette," she said.
Always inspired by her surroundings, people's stories, feelings and lifestyles, it is no wonder the collection came from the 26-year-old's own experience in a foreign country.
She spent a few months in Paris on a work internship and felt isolated because of the language barrier.
"I was nervous and didn't feel confident talking to people.
"By the end, I learned to trust myself and take a step forward.
I soon became more comfortable talking to people."When she returned to New Zealand, she wanted to create a collection that showed a transition from breakdown to breakthrough.
"I named this collection Impower. It sounds like empower, but it is spelled I-m-power.
"It is a message for those who lack confidence and need support, to seek strength from their inner selves and learn to be confident in their capabilities and back themselves.
"I also want people to feel comfortable and confident in these pieces."She is driven to create clothes that enhance the wearer's appearance and spirit and believes it was "an honour" to be selected for iD.
"By entering the iD International Emerging Designer Awards, it will make a big step forward towards my goal."
Amelia Boland
The 23-year-old's collection, "seen and not heard", is an expression of duality, contrast, proportion and beauty.
Heavy fabric is used to mimic the proportion of regular fabrics on a smaller body, while oversized shapes are pared back with light and flattering fabrics.
However, the line is blurred between the innocence of youth and the sensuality of womanhood with lingerie, sheer fabric and form-fitting items sitting alongside soft, floaty pieces and engulfing jackets with boisterous bows.
Black and cream colours reinforce the contrast, which transitions as shades move from light to dark throughout the garments. Structurally, delicate attention to detail has been applied with a focus on seam lines, gathers and fastenings.
Many details feature throughout, including a gentle angular shaping in lingerie and all rigid items, a scooped hemline in gathered and floaty garments, and a bow icon.
Miss Boland has always had a dream of working high up in the fashion industry, "somewhere I can put all my talents to use at once".
"But until now, it has always seemed a little more distant - a dream.
I am going to New York in 2011 and having these awards on my CV will hopefully help to get me noticed," she said. The experience would also be about building confidence and knowledge of the fashion world in a "prestigious" setting.
Natasha Johnston
"Each of the five looks has a different aspect of the human race that I dislike," she said.
Drawing inspiration from street artist Banksy, the 28-year-old relates different messages through her "Misanthropy inspired me" garments. The first look is control.
She used a photo taken from a film called Gamer, which is about a game in which people have control over real people, and an image of a girl sitting on the floor, pulling the strings of a puppet. The second look is greed.
Images used are a banknote which has "in greed we trust" written across it, and a businessman with banknotes inside his glasses, showing that all he sees is money.
The third look is laziness, which is made up of pictures of an obese woman sitting on her mobility scooter while pushing a lawn mower and two hands holding a Rubik's cube.
The fourth look is about fake people, and is made up of a single plastic Lego man and a group of Lego men lined up, representing the way people are fake in social settings, and in general. The fifth look is sexist people, male and female.
It is made of one print and this is a bunny tied up bondage-style. After going to iD Fashion Week as a member of the public, Ms Johnston always hoped she would be part of the show as a designer.
"For a long time I wasn't sure I wanted to be a designer. But the collection I have entered in iD inspired me and challenged my ideas of what fashion is ... becoming a finalist has given me a chance to share these ideas."
Roxanna Zamani
After graduating from Otago Polytechnic in 2009, she showed at iD in 2010, going on to win the Wedding Italian Style Award at the Mittelmoda Fashion Awards in Italy, and the FashionTV Oceania Online Designer Award evening wear section and the overall prize.
She is now working on her own label in London after gaining some work experience with Scottish designer Christopher Kane.
At this year's event, she will show her collection Antithesis, a couture collection inspired by the work of Franz Kline's paintings and his exploration of everyday objects, minimal architecture and industrial icons through the use of line.
Miss Zamani is looking forward to coming "home" to show her work.
"Seeing it on the runway and finally `out of your head' is the test of all your hard work. There aren't too many opportunities like this in the world in regards to fashion, so it is a huge privilege to be a part of it," she said of the awards.
• Limited tickets are still available from TicketDirect.
