‘Standout’ design wins at Hokonui fashion awards
A design that took three months of inspiration and three months of construction won the top award at the MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in Gore on Saturday night.
Sheetol Chawla, a student at AUT in Auckland, won the Mackersey Property Collections Award Open section and went on to win the MLT Award of Excellence for her design, which she said was inspired by nature.
‘‘I cannot imagine myself up here winning,’’ an emotional Chawla said.
‘‘This will stimulate my career, I’m really excited, really thrilled.’’
Judge Steve Dunstan, of Huffer, said Chawla’s black and white, cotton mix designs were a standout amongst the 250 entries from New Zealand’s amateur designers.
‘‘It was really well constructed, the level of finishing, it was so wellbalanced,’’ he said.
Many designs shone, but hers was a level above the rest.
It was also a big night for 16-year-old May Dyson, of Tuatapere, who entered for the first time and won the People’s Choice and Best Southland Designer Awards with a flowing dress made of Vogue sewing patterns.
She said she was overwhelmed by her win, had loved seeing her design on the catwalk and planned to study theatre costume design.
Dunstan said he had been ‘‘blown away’’ by the standard of entries in the school sections. For the first time a school pupil won one of the big awards, with Tanika Whale of Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton winning the Gore District Council Auaha Award.
Dunstan was joined on the judging panel by Twenty-Seven Names designers Rachel Easting and Anjali Burnett, and Juliette Hogan.
Winners
The Fabric Store Best Use of Fabric Award: Vorakvong Chylong, Wellington
Girl Next Door Garment with the Most Commercial Potential Award: Emily Cummings, Christchurch O’Connor Richmond Best Use Of Wool Award: Lochiel Kay, Dunedin
Gore District Council Auaha Award: Tanika Whale, Nga Tawa Diocesan School
Cardrona Distillery People’s Choice Award: May Dyson, Tuatapere
Heather Paterson QSM Memorial Trophy/ Award for Best Southland Designer: Dyson
Country Living Narrative Award: Nan Walden, Wellington
Southern Institute of Technology Young Designer Award: Oliver Schefer, Christchurch
Mataura Licensing Trust Award of Excellence: