Otago Polytechnic students Vera Kalugina and Ruby Van der Zanden are two of the 32 finalists in the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
The event is the only young designer show to accept entries from around the world. Only four of the entrants are from New Zealand.
Ms Kalugina said becoming a finalist was unexpected, but exciting.
Her "bright and dramatic" collection, Aurora, was inspired by New Zealand and contrasted with a lot of the work she had created in her home country, Russia.
"I used to work with grey and black, and shades of grey," Ms Kalugina said.
"And now, New Zealand has inspired me to use bright colours."
Ms Kalugina graduated in June and hoped to spend more time in New Zealand.
Fellow polytechnic student Ruby Van der Zanden’s collection, Why Not? We’re on Holiday, was inspired by her late father.
For the collection to feel authentic to her, every piece in it had to connect to him in some way, she said.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the awards, set for next Friday, will be held online.
