The south’s fashion capital
Gore has been described as the little black dress of the New Zealand fashion industry.
It’s been described as the little black dress of the New Zealand fashion industry. In the fickle world of fashion, where trends come and go, The Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in Gore has established itself as a wardrobe staple since its debut in 1998.
The awards give amateur designers the chance to have their creations critiqued by fashion judges who are at the top of their game in the industry.
From humble beginnings, the awards’ first winning entry is sadly no longer with us.
Not even a photograph remains of the tan off the shoulder cape, clinched in at the waist with leather edging, worn with jodhpur-styled pants in the same fabric, which scooped the top prize 30 years ago.
Megan Buckingham, formerly of Gore but now of Alexandra, won the overall award 1998.
‘‘I think I threw it out. I don’t keep junk. I certainly wasn’t expecting to win. All the entrants were standing around out the back and I was really shocked at hearing my name called out.’’
Buckingham dyed her own fabric before creating her entry and did her model’s hair and makeup on the night of the awards before sending her down the runway.
She won $300 for her efforts. She spent it on an overlocker, which she still uses.
‘‘That was a lot of money 30 years ago and I don’t think anyone would have thought back then that the awards would run for 30 years.’’
Back then, designers had to draw up a pattern and submit it to the judges to have it accepted before sewing up their design.
There wasn’t even a catwalk. About 50 designs were paraded on stage at Gore’s St James Theatre in front of an audience of about 400.
From the humble beginnings of the 1998 Awards, there are now two shows with a combined audience of more than 1400, a bigger venue, national sponsors and a prize pool of more than $30,000.
From a competition that had more of a wearable arts theme in its early years, the show is now a serious production.
Individuals with a flair for fashion, students at the country’s design schools and in more recent years, school pupils have focused their creative talents on the largest competition of its type on the national fashion calendar and sent the entries they’ve toiled over for hours to Gore in hope of winning the big prize – and the much needed recognition that could come with a win in what is a tough industry to gain a following,
The late Heather Paterson, who founded the awards and received a Queens Service Medal for services to fashion, was the driving force behind the awards and championed giving emerging talent and young designers a chance to show off their creativity, she told Stuff in 2013.
‘‘It’s [fashion] a very, very hard industry and it’s quite difficult to break through into, and what we’re doing is giving people that opportunity to show other people what they can do.’’
Her thoughts are echoed by Doris de Pont, the founder of the New Zealand Fashion Museum, who will be casting her eye over entries as a member of the judging panel for the third time this year.
De Pont, whose own designs have gained international recognition and can now be seen in collections at the Auckland Museum, Te Papa and the NGV in Melbourne, said the calibre of the Hokonuis has grown in the industry as sponsorship and prize money have increased, which has increased both the
‘‘It’s [fashion] a very, very hard industry and it’s quite difficult to break through into, and what we’re doing is giving people that opportunity to show other people what they can do.’’
Heather Paterson, Hokonui Fashion Design Awards founder
number and quality of entries.
‘‘I think the good awards programmes start as a local event but the reputation of it improves with the quality of the entries.’’
Having an entry selected for the finals was a big achievement, but the process of designing the entry was just as important to budding designers.
‘‘I think it’s very important for young designers to apply themselves to a discipline and a brief and to complete it. Even if they don’t win they have completed a task to a timeframe and putting yourself out there to be judged is not an easy task.
‘‘It’s a huge opportunity for designers to be creative and there is a certain kudos that comes with a win – it can give a signal that they are on the right track.
The quality of some of the school entries was exceptional and it was possible for one to win the overall title, she said.
‘‘I think some of the soft material teachers we have teaching in our schools are really remarkable. Just to see some of the quality of the entries coming through are remarkable and it bodes well for the industry in the future.’’
And as we live in a world of fast fashion, the industry in New Zealand, although tough to break into, was in good shape, she said.
‘‘There is a real distinct flavour and direction to New Zealand fashion and it is always evolving and maturing. It’s great to see that the schools entries in particular in the Hokonuis are picking up on that and moving and developing in that direction so it will be interesting to see how they interpret that.’’
Proof that exposure at the awards pays off is evident.
Charmaine Reveley was studying fashion at Otago Polytechnic when she won a merit award and was highly commended in the day wear and knitted sections at the Hokonuis in 2002.
She has gone on to establish her Dunedin-based label and is stocked nationwide.
‘‘The Hokonuis are really important when you’re a student. It’s a great experience to have the opportunity to enter any awards.
‘‘Speaking from my experience it didn’t launch my case it didn’t launch my career but the Hokonuis put you in front of some very high calibre judges which a good way to get noticed.’’
Zoe Beck, who won a school section in 2017, won the senior craft section in the Brother Design Stars at the New Zealand Fashion Awards in 2017, where former entrant Misty Ratima showed her collection at the Miromoda Show.
The winner of the Hokonuis also gets a much coveted entry to New Zealand Fashion Week as part of their prize – bringing more exposure to national and international audiences.
De Pont will be joined by WORLD designer Francis Hooper, Massey University head of fashion and senior lecturer at Sue Prescott, and fashion stylist and presenter Luke Bettesworth on the judging panel.
Previous judges read like a who’s who of New Zealand Fashion – WORLD designer Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, home-town girl Donna Tulloch of Mild Red, Janey Evett of New Zealand Fashion Week, Annah Stretton, Karen Walker, Nic Blanchet, Trelise Cooper, Kate Sylvester, Tanya Carlson, Liz Findley (Zambesi), Margi Robertson (NOMD) have all made the journey south to become part of the fabric of the awards.
Hooper said he was looking forward to judging at this year’s event.
‘‘I am really looking forward to being blown away by the incredible imagination and talent that is shown each year at the Awards.
‘‘I never fail to be amazed and follow it avidly. Fashion gives us the space we need to really show all our ideas and creativity without restrictions, and on the 30th Anniversary of the Hokonui’s I am hoping to see all of that and more!’’
Helen McCurdy has been at the helm of the wardrobe department for 14 years.
It’s rare for her to see the entries on the catwalk – she’s usually backstage amongst the very well organised chaos, giving the models and entries one final check to make sure they’re looking their best before being critiqued by the waiting audience and media.
Every year she’s impressed with the quality and construction of the entries and the creativity never fails to surprise her as she helps unpack entries a month out from show night.
Every year we say it’s like Christmas getting a first look at the entries and it really is you never know what you’re going to get when you open a box, she said.
‘‘You can never pick the winner. Sometimes it’s the most simple looking entry but it’s beautifully constructed and that’s what gives it the edge.
‘‘Other years it’ll be the most out there, creative entry that appeals to the judges – it just depends what they’re looking for and what appeals to them.
As a committee member she said it was important to keep the Awards evolving and progressing to keep it fresh not just for the audience, but for the designers as well.
‘‘We talk to the design schools about their focus to keep the Awards relevant to them because a lot of our entries come from them and sustainability is a big area for them.
Students studying the New Zealand Diploma in Fashion Design at Invercargill’s Southland Institute of Technology all enter the awards as part of the Fashion Design and Awards (competition) paper.
‘‘Some years they’ll have a focus on menswear, other years it will be streetwear. It’s important we keep it relevant for them so they’re designing with the Hokonui’s in mind,’’ McCurdy said.
‘‘This is the first year we haven’t had a wool section – we’ve changed it to sustainability and I think it’s going to be interesting for the judges to see how people have interpreted that.
Her pick for a winner this year? ‘‘The collections section I think is very strong this year, and the avant garde entries are just amazing and they’re going to look fantastic.
‘‘We’re working on some quite cool, different aspects of the show this year, I think it’s going to surprise people.
The audience wouldn’t expect anything less.
The awards will be held on July 27 and 28 in Gore.