Organisers of the 2010 iD Dunedin Fashion Week yesterday unveiled Zandra Rhodes as this year's guest designer.
Her love of colour, unique use of bold prints and passion for feminine patterns have earned her the labels "Princess of Punk" and "Queen of colour".
As one of the new wave of British designers, Rhodes put London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970s and went on to have a wide-ranging career.
From collaborating on a MAC make-up range to a range of Royal Doulton china to designing sets and costumes for international operas - she has covered a lot of ground.
The iD Dunedin Fashion Show will display her current collection and some vintage items.
She said in a media release a highlight of her first visit to Dunedin would be judging the iD Emerging Designer Awards.
"I'll be looking for originality and flair in their collections and that special something that sets them apart as a designer."
iD Fashion committee chairwoman Susie Staley said it was a privilege to have such a fashion leader as part of the event.
"Her business expertise, academic knowledge and attendance clearly establishes iD Fashion Week as a must-see week of events."
The fashion week, now in its 11th year, had experienced challenges in securing sponsors yet continued to grow.
The iD Emerging Designer Awards, which now include a jewellery design category, have attracted, from as far afield as Croatia and Switzerland, a total of 120 entries, which have since been whittled down to the favourite 31.
They will be judged by Rhodes, fashion adviser Ross Gamble, fashion designer Sara Aspinall, and fashion and Sunday Star Times beauty editor Katie Newton.
The winner's collection will be shown alongside 16 other labels on the Dunedin Railway Station platform catwalk over two consecutive nights.
Label designers NomD, Carlson, Mild Red, Rembrandt, Company of Strangers, Cherry Cotton Candy, twentysevennames and Charmaine Reveley are included in the line-up.
The 2010 Capsule Collections will see the return of Iris (Annette Cadogan), Jane Sutherland, Elusiv (Nicola Reilly) and BurtenShaw (Cheryl Burtenshaw), together with new designers Vaughan Geeson, Lou & Ash (Ava Sanders) and Lela Jacobs.
Complementing the line-up of established designers will be five collections from graduates of the 2009 Otago Polytechnic Fashion School.
Roxanna Zamani, Sophie Hardy, Bailey Meredith, Siobhan Moroney and Brigid Steeper will show alongside the winners from the iD Dunedin Emerging Designer Awards.
Keeping it local, Dunedin model Nicole Clulee has been selected as the face of the event this year.
"We are delighted that we are able to create a high-fashion image locally," Ms Staley said.
The week runs from March 8 to 14.
The awards are on March 11 and the iD Dunedin Fashion Show runs on March 12 and 13.
Tickets for the awards are $40, and range from $60 to $90 for the fashion show.
Tickets go on sale on January 26 from TicketDirect.
