New Zealand Fashion Week has teamed up with Brother to develop a new show designed to kickstart the careers of students. The New Zealand Fashion Week Graduate Show will bring to the stage the top three students from Otago Polytech, Massey University and New Zealand Institute of Fashion Technology to showcase their designs.
"NZ Fashion Tech was thrilled to be asked earlier in the year to put forward three graduates to be part of NZFW's Graduate Show. This is an amazing opportunity for our graduates who are wanting to get a start in the design area," said Val Marshall-Smith, academic director, New Zealand Institute of Fashion Technology.
From the seven graduates who presented to a panel made up of Marshall-Smith, Carly Tolley who runs programme development, and Dame Pieter Stewart the strategic director at New Zealand Fashion Week, three were chosen.
"What an honour that was for us and the graduates. We chose three collections that we felt were new, fresh and up to the minute. Now they are all busy bringing their ideas to fruition," said Smith.
The three graduates from NZ Fashion Institute of Technology are Samuel Molloy from Auckland, Jerome Taylor from Wellington, and design pair Caitlin Bartholomeusz and Emily Chin, also from Wellington.
The show will also feature both winners and finalists from the Brother Design Stars competition, meaning young fashion designers and creative artists in school years 7 to 13 will have the opportunity to have industry exposure before leaving high school.
“We know that for the New Zealand industry to continue to thrive, we need the next generation of designers to be given opportunities to grow and develop their skills, not just designing but with the business side of fashion as well. This show will certainly give all the designers involved a chance to experience what the world of fashion is all about,” said Dame Pieter Stewart, strategic director, New Zealand Fashion Week.
While the official 2016 designer schedule is yet to be released, it has been confirmed that the show will take place on the larger of the two runways at New Zealand Fashion Week.
