Colour rules the runway
When young fashion designer Javier Aranas was given the colour Poppy as a starting point for a competition garment, inspiration struck immediately.
‘‘The firebenders from Avatar, I vibed off the energy it gave, ’’ he said.
Influenced by the art style of the fictional Fire Nation from Avatar: The Last Airbender, the piece created itself, the 22-year-old Wellington designer said.
His entry in the Resene Colour of Fashion collection evolved from a brief that asked designers to focus on how they felt emerging out of lockdown into a lighter, more positive world.
In any normal year the designs, showing off Resene’s newest colours, would be shown at New Zealand Fashion Week.
But after Covid-19 caused the week to be cancelled, the project needed to find another way to help launch the careers of this year’s fashion industry recruits.
So this year, 16 designers will show their works to industry leaders, tutors, family and friends at fashion events in Wellington and Auckland.
For Aranas, his journey into the world of fashion design began by ‘‘following what I amactually interested in and pursuing something higher than a degree’’.
‘‘Creativity is always riskier. I definitely had to learn from mistakes,’’ Aranas said.
He believed that he brought ‘‘an aspect of risk-taking’’ to the competition with his design of a vibrant cropped jacket over a lined jumpsuit with loose sleeves and trouser legs.
Another Wellington finalist, Tahlia Pratt, used the light blue of Wishlist to create a high-collared, long-sleeved dress.
The colour gave her a calm, floaty feeling, and she was inspired by angelic imagery and Renaissance paintings.
Pratt’s interest in fashion and design started at an early age. ‘‘I have always
really liked clothing and struggled with finding stuff I liked. So I started making them. I always wanted to be in a creative industry,’’ Pratt said.
Competing alongside Aranas and Pratt in the Wellington division of this challenge are fellow finalists Natacha Wendt, Sjaan Hopman, Kelly McCullough, Jessica Edwards and Kate Tillard.
Where and when
The Wellington division of Resene’s Colour of Fashion collection will be held at Pipitea Marae in Thorndon Quay on Friday, December 4, with the designers competing for the prize of a sewing machine, engraved shears and fabric vouchers valued at $1000.