Polytech fashions on show in Shanghai

Margo Barton.
Margo Barton.
Nine Otago Polytechnic students are Dunedin's latest budding designers to have their creations showcased internationally.

Eight fashion students and one communications student from the polytechnic's School of Design have been selected to show their work at this month's Shanghai Fashion Week.

The event started in 2003 and has been held twice a year since 2008.

Designers revealed collections for autumn/winter in the April event, and this month garments for the spring/summer fashion season are being shown.

Dunedin students involved in the fashion week from October 16 to 25 are Georgia Ferguson, Alice McKay, Alisha Simpson, Tobi Scott, Sonya Heney, Jessica Gleeson, Hannah Heslop, Lauren Arthur and Anna van Gorp.

The event provides a platform for their work to be seen by top designers, media and fashion buyers from around the world.

Last October, six fashion design students from Otago Polytechnic showed garments at Shanghai Fashion Week.

They were Samuel Ralph, Soohee Moon, Hortense Rothery, Rakel Blom, Olivia Bloxham and Carolyn Taylor.

Each had to commit to paying part of their air fare. The remainder of the expenses were met by the polytechnic and their Chinese hosts from the International Fashion Academy (IFA) Paris, a department of the Shanghai University of Engineering Science.

Otago Polytechnic has had a formal relationship with the university for about seven years.

This year's theme for the spring/summer collections to be shown by students was drama.

Otago Polytechnic academic leader of fashion Dr Margo Barton said each student had interpreted the theme differently, which meant there was a ''sense of collective diversity'' among their offerings.

''Some are very wearable, while others tend towards the extreme,'' she said.

It was the first time a communications design student had been involved in the fashion event, and it meant opportunities for a shared curriculum could be further developed, Dr Barton said.

''We know this will be an incredibly inspiring experience for all students. We have a great partnership with IFA Paris in Shanghai, which opens doors for our respective students to explore different cultural outlooks,'' she said.

''We truly all learn from one another.''

rosie.manins@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement