Record entries to fashion awards
A new award has been added to this year’s MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards for the stories behind the garments.
The awards committee’s chairperson, Bronnie Grant, has worked with the wardrobe team this week to unpack and sort garments from throughout New Zealand in readiness for the event being held in Gore on July 29 to 30.
The Narrative Award will be handed out for the first time.
‘‘We’ve encouraged designers this year to tell us the story behind their garments. There are some pretty cool stories,’’ Grant said.
Designers could have taken inspiration from things happening globally, locally or in their personal lives, she said. ‘‘They’ve picked that up, and it’s sparked their interest.’’
This year 279 garments have been entered, which is a record number for the event.
The work of 209 designers will be on show, including 17 or 18 from Southland.
Well-known designers with entries include Viv Tamblyn, of Gore, Vicki Taylor-Blair, of Dunedin, and Simone Montgomery, of Port Chalmers.
Ari Terekhova is returning after winning the main category last year, the Mataura Licensing Trust Award of Excellence.
‘‘The garments this year are amazing . . . They’re beautifully coloured, beautifully made,’’ Grant said.
‘‘There are some really creative and amazing people out there doing some really cool stuff. The standard seems to be getting better and better each year.’’
The awards were a chance for amateur designers and up-andcomers to showcase their garments, Grant said, adding that professional designers took an interest in the awards: ‘‘They are keeping an eye out to see who might be worth . . . bringing into their label.’’
Awards dress co-ordinator Sheree McIntyre is impressed with the large amounts of colour in garments this year.
‘‘A while ago we used to get lots of black, but there’s little black this year,’’ she said.
‘‘School entries are outstanding and what they’re creating is as good as the open designers.’’
The 40 models, including 10 men, are from Otago and Southland. Quite a few are university students, McIntyre said.
Some models can be on the catwalk 10 or 11 times a night wearing different garments, Grant said. Replacements are on standby if any of the models can’t attend because of sickness.
‘‘A while ago we used to get lots of black, but there’s little black this year.’’ Sheree McIntyre Awards dress co-ordinator