The winners will be revealed at the end of tonight’s iD Dunedin Fashion Show at the Dunedin Railway Station.
The iD fashion week climaxes tonight with the first of two shows revealing the top fashion and winners.
Yesterday the 25 finalists from seven countries and 13 schools from as far away as Italy presented to a panel of judges at the Otago Museum.
Designers were encouraged to incorporate the concepts of sustainability and diversity in some capacity.
The level of talent on display was so high that reaching a consensus had been "exhausting", head judge Tanya Carlson said.
"This last hour of deliberation was intense."
"Any time that you are recognised by your industry is a big tick. It is a door opener in lots of ways.
"I think it’s one of the great things around this competition. It’s a really small community. They’re all in this together and they make lifelong friendships. They really enjoy themselves."
Leonard Hill, a finalist from Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Auckland, said the pressure of the day had been eased by the level of camaraderie among the designers.
"It was more nerve-racking than I expected. But overall the atmosphere’s been really supportive.
"It’s just been so good to meet all of this amazing talent. Everybody’s at the top of their game and that’s actually so exciting.
"We’re all just getting on like friends."
The designers’ collections will appear in the second half of the iD Dunedin Fashion show tonight and tomorrow.
