Image/Doug Peters Ambient Light Photography
In a nod to Yves Saint Laurent, I’m pairing black and navy today. This is one of my favourite colour combinations, and is perfect for any season or occasion – including a lunchtime stroll around Cornwall Park. View Post
Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited along to NZ Fashion Tech’s Diploma Runway Show, to check out the Graduate Collections for 2012 (have a look at what I was wearing!).
The show included garments made by NZ Fashion Tech’s first year students as part of the Red Cross Upcycle Challenge, where they deconstructed 5-6 old garments selected at random from Auckland Red Cross stores, and reconstructed them into high fashion garments. What an awesome exercise in sustainability! It definitely made me think about upcycling some of my old clothes to breathe life into my wardrobe, although I don’t think my results will be quite as stunning as the ones I saw at this show!
Also on the runway were the Diploma students’ Kleenex Cottonelle Paper Dresses, which were white cocktail gowns made from … wait for it … toilet paper. They were absolutely amazing! Who knew that anyone could create such stylish gowns out of paper?
By far my favourite part of the night was the runway show of the Graduate Collections. The students worked to each create their own ready to wear collection, and I was really impressed by the quality of workmanship in the outfits! I thought I’d share a few of my favourite designers of the evening, and my picks of who are the “talents to watch”.
Abandoned Hood by Kimmery Fotuhetule
Image: Bryan Lowe/Lowe Photo
Kimi Fotuhetule’s collection Abandoned Hood, had some fantastic denim pieces for both men and women. I especially loved the cropped sleeved denim top (pictured above).
What Lies Beneath… by Suzie Eggleton
Image: Bryan Lowe/Lowe Photo
Suzie Eggleton’s collection What lies beneath was edgy, stylish and included garments that could easily been worn as separates (seriously, you need to get some of Suzie’s clothes in your wardrobe!), with the floaty dress pictured above being one of my favourites.
Pleasure Over Matter by Sali Hafeedh
Image: Bryan Lowe/Lowe Photo
Sali Hafeedh’s Pleasure Over Matter was stylish and sophisticated, with a beautiful colour palette – this mustard dress was one of my favourite pieces of the evening!
Femme By LaMeck by MJ Greig
Image: Bryan Lowe/Lowe Photo
The crowd favourite definitely seemed to be MJ Greig’s Femme By LaMeck, a collection that consisted of high fashion garments that really stood out. MJ’s collection was cohesive and her styling fantastic, right down to detailing on the shoes!
Keep an eye out for these graduates as they shoot to success – I look forward to seeing more from them in the future!
Many thanks to Bryan Lowe /Lowe Photo for letting me share his images – if you’d like to see more of the NZ Fashion Tech Diploma Runway Show 2012, check out Bryan’s album on facebook.
Images © Lowe Photo 2012
Text © Meagan Kerr 2012
The Indigenous Māori Fashion Apparel Board (IMFAB) was founded in 2008, an organisation instituted to advance the quality status of Māori fashion design and to raise its artistic and professional standards. Miromoda also aims to define a code of ethical practices of mutual benefit in public and trade relations and, to promote appreciation of the fashion arts through leadership in high quality, authenticity and aesthetic discernment.
Miromoda is committed to nurturing the development of the Māori fashion industry’s future designers. Miromoda educational initiatives will provide support and strengthen resources for students at secondary, tertiary and post-graduate levels. In addition, Miromoda hopes to offer support to working designers in the early stages of their careers, and should they require, mentoring throughout their future, including international profile and participation.
Each year Miromoda hosts an awards competition event at Wellington’s Massey University. The finalists then showcase their talent at New Zealand Fashion Week under the Miromoda Showcase.
The Miromoda Showcase is a personal favourite of mine – as a young Māori artist, I am extremely proud to see other Māori artists succeeding in their fields.
The designers showing in the Miromoda Showcase this year were: Poto Morgan (Ngaruawahia), Maehe Ranginui (Whanganui), Pia Boutique (Auckland), Koia Gray (Wainuiomata High School), Hohepa Thompson (Victoria University, Wellington), Olivia Edginton (Wainuiomata High School), Christopher Huia-Woods (Auckland), Shona Tawhiao (Auckland), DMONIC INTENT (Auckland), Monique Lynch (Auckland) and Surface Too Deep (Wellington).
Mania Moko (Vanity Walk) for Poto Morgan | Maehe Ranginui at the Miromoda Showcase
I really liked the woven elements of this outfit, which was quite edgy and avant garde.
Pia Boutique at the Miromoda Showcase
Pia Boutique’s clothing was fresh, vibrant and fun, featuring floral and graphic prints in bold colours.
Koia Gray | Hohepa Thompson | Olivia Edginton at the Miromoda Showcase
Mania Moko (Vanity Walk) for Christopher Huia-Woods at the Miromoda Showcase
Christopher Huia-Woods’ garments stood out with bright reds and oranges being offset by moody blacks. The overall look was very avant garde and strong while still being playful.
Leilani (N Model Management) for Shona Tawhiao at the Miromoda Showcase
Shona Tawhiao at the Miromoda Showcase
Another very avant garde collection, this time from designer Shona Tawhiao. I love the mixture of fabrics and textures in the collection, they work really well in contrast to one another.
Lenka Leova (Red 11) for DMONIC INTENT at the Miromoda Showcase
Natua Holmes (Red 11) for DMONIC INTENT at the Miromoda Showcase
Genevieve Mora (Red 11) for DMONIC INTENT at the Miromoda Showcase
DMONIC INTENT’s Heaven Bleeds Black collection was the stand out of the showcase for me – their attention to detail and impeccable styling meant that the collection worked well as a whole, as well as each garment making a fantastic individual impression. What I like most about DMONIC INTENT’s clothing is that it seems like it would be wearable off the runway (and it is, I’ve seen a few people sporting delicious DMONIC goodness!), while still being high fashion.
Monique Lynch at the Miromoda Showcase
Monique Lynch’s collection looked to be made largely from varying shades of grey neoprene (which, if I’m not mistaken, is the same material my wetsuit was made of?). An interesting choice of fabric!
Surface Too Deep at the Miromoda Showcase
Surface Too Deep showed some amazing swimsuits with fantastic floral prints that made me yearn for summer! The outfits were fun, colourful and youthful, and it was a great way to end such a wonderful showcase.
I look forward to seeing what these designers come up with over the coming years, and hope I get a chance to attend the Miromoda Showcase at NZFW 2013!
© Meagan Kerr Photography 2012