Daily Show by Megan Stewart from Massey University in Wellington. Image supplied.
The finalists for this year’s iD International Emerging Designer Awards have been announced and they represent an exciting future for the industry. Among the entries is a collection made from chip bags and soft drink cans, textiles made from fishing tackle, garments using laser-cut Perspex, not to mention this year’s group have a notable commitment to upcycling and sustainability.
This year is the 13th annual awards and the thirty-six emerging designers selected to show in Dunedin come from every corner of the globe. The iD International Emerging Designer Awards is supported by Otago Polytechnic and is Australasia’s only international emerging fashion competition. On Thursday March 23rd the finalists will take to the runway in Dunedin showing the work that had them selected from a pool of around 150 entries from 18 countries.
The task of choosing those finalists was in the hands of this year’s selection committee, which consisted of local designers Tanya Carlson and Sara Munro (Company of Strangers), as well as fashion editor Dan Ahwa. The panel were all impressed by the high quality of entries and the graduates’ dedication to the ethos of slow fashion and sustainability.
“These are fashion graduates who believe in making a difference within the industry,” says Tanya Carlson. “Almost every entry explored the importance of the slow fashion movement – but in very different ways. It’s inspiring to see. The finalists we chose all stood out for their innovation and exceptional creativity.”
iD’s Committee Chair Cherry Lucas is also excited about this year’s crop of emerging designers and is looking forward to showcasing their talents in Dunedin. “We’re proud to present another exceptional year of emerging fashion and look forward to seeing our finalists showcasing their work on a world stage,” says Cherry Lucas. “Friendships and long-term collaborations are often forged behind the scenes as finalists take advantage of the unique networking opportunities available to them.”
This year’s finalists are:
From New Zealand:
– Auckland University of Technology: Phillip von Fury
– Massey University, Wellington: Tess Norquay, Olivia Balle and Kristen Meaclem, Megan Stewart.
– Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin: Cecily Reed, Letitia Powell, Laura Bennett.
From Australia:
– Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology: Emily Cameron, Paul Castro, Victoria Bliss.
– The Fashion Design Studio, Ultimo TAFE, Sydney: Ann Xiao.
– University of Technology, Sydney: Emily Stone, Lynette Yahya, Nancy Wu, Natalie Vladimiroff, Nehma Vitols, Talia Jimenez, Zhuxuan He.
– Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane: Jack Milne, Shannon Lewis.
– Curtin University, Perth: Adellen Pasquale.
From China:
– Shanghai University of Engineering Science/Sino-French Institute of Fashion Design: Wang Yiyan, Guan Xin
From Italy:
– Polimoda, Florence: Alessandro Trincone
From Singapore:
– Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts: Natasha Nadya.
– Raffles College of Higher Education: Dora Photina, Zhang Fan.
From Argentina:
– UBA University of Buenos Aires: Elisa Lutteral and Melina Karagozian.
From Spain:
– LCI Barcelona: Laura Searle Fuentes.
From UK:
– The University of Westminster: Katie Ann McGuigan.
From USA:
– Marist College, New York: Marrisa Wilson.
– Parsons School of Design: Wonho Lee.
From Switzerland:
– Academy of Art and Design Basel (HGK Basel) FHNW: Stephanie Nina Yoon.
From Austria:
– University of Applied Arts Vienna: Axel Berner-Eyde, Lila John.
From Canada:
– Ryerson University, Toronto: Alexandra Armata.
The finalists are vying for some exciting prizes including the H&J Smith First Place (NZ$6,000), L’affare Second Place (NZ$4000), Gallery de Novo Third Place ($2000) and other special prizes including The Fabric Store Prize worth $3000 (includes $2000 worth of fabric), the Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall Prize for the Most Commercial Collection and the new Emilia Wickstead Internship which was established in 2016.
Each winner from the 2017 iD International Emerging Designer Awards also gets to show their collection at the iD Dunedin Fashion Show held at Dunedin’s Railway Station on Friday March 24 and Saturday March 25. Tickets for the iD International Emerging Designer Awards and iD International Emerging Designer Awards are available from Ticketmaster.