2019 Supreme Winner Nash Karaitiana (left) and Briah Zeitoun (right). Images by Masanori Udagawa.
The annual MIROMODA fashion design competition was held in Wellington recently with 12 designers chosen to showcase their collections at New Zealand Fashion Week 2019. The supreme winner for the competition was Nash Karaitiana who had entered the emerging category but is already experienced in graphic design having worked with Salasai. Nash’s winning collection has a nostalgic feel and was from an era “everything was loose fitting, colourful and baggy,” says the designer.
The winners were chosen by a leading judging panel with Dame Pieter Stewart NZFW’s founder at the helm, and included designer Adrian Hailwood and Radio NZ Presenter Sonia Sly. Instead of the usual 8 designers chosen to showcase at NZFW, the panel agreed that 12 designers from established, emerging and avant-garde categories will take to the runway at 10th MIROMODA Showcase.
Of the increase in designers chosen MIROMODA co-founder Ata Te Kanawa said, “logistically, it poses a few more challenges: but things were always going to be bigger and brighter in our 10th anniversary celebratory year.”
MIROMODA will once again host the popular Sneak Peek exclusive event two days before their NZ Fashion Week show, this year it will be held at the Air New Zealand hub in Auckland Central.
“The MIROMODA Sneak Peek gives the audience insight of design concepts which often draws on cultural elements,” says Te Kanawa. “It is something we picked up from the judges as having huge value; they have always been privy to hearing rich stories that are then cleverly implemented in fashion design, so we thought why not share that.”
Full list of MIROMODA winners:
Emerging
Nash Karaitiana (Emerging and 2019 Supreme Winner) – Napier
Erana Kaa – Marton
Mitchell Manuel – Lower Hutt
Briah Zeitoun – Wellington
Tash Sinclair – Palmerston North
Established
AJ Bradley (Established Designer Winner) – Palmerston North
Glen Maclachlan – Tauranga
Taongahuia Maxwell – Rotorua
Te Orihau Karaitiana – Hastings
Avant Garde
Chermene Castle (Avant Garde and Innovation Award Winner) – Gold Coast, Australia
Nichola Te Kiri – Hamilton
Paulette Teatai-Ariki – Rotorua
Congratulations to all the MIROMODA designers.
Nichola Te Kiri (left) and Mitchell Manuel (right).
Images by Masanori Udagawa.