Anyone for tennis? Sports-inspired designs win top Hokonui Fashion Design Awards

Sunday, 30 July 2023

The Hokonui Fashion Design Awards Award of Excellence winning entry by Molly Marsh of Dunedin, which also won the Collections section Award.

Tennis games during long hot Central Otago summers inspired the winning design at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in Gore on Saturday night, and a nautical themed outfit was judged the best of the entries from school students.

A collection of three garments including a large ball-shaped bag, a racquet and a jacket made of turf created by 20-year-old Otago Polytechnic Student Molly Marsh won the Mackersey Property Collections Award open section.

It then went on to win the Mataura Licencing Trust Award of Excellence, with a prize package worth $16,500.

Marsh said she grew up at Ettrick in Central Otago where she had a tennis court.

“I’m not very good at tennis but that was my childhood,’’ the Otago Polytechnic fashion design student said.

Gala evening of fashion held in Gore on Saturday night.

She had entered the awards at high school but this was her first entrant as a polytechnic student.

“It’s pretty crazy to win, I certainly wasn’t expecting it,’’ she said.

The winning entry in the menswear section by Jamie Black of Cambridge.

The awards were judged by Liam Bowden of Deadly Ponies, Vicki Taylor of Taylor Boutique and Steve Dunstan of Huffer.

The winning entry in the Avant Garde Open section by Debbie Smith of Gore. This entry also won the Peoples Choice award.

Dunstan said the winning design had a ‘’very strong theme which was very exaggerated.’’

“We were very lucky we could touch it and its made so beautifully,’’ he said.

The winning entry in the Macca Lodge Upcycled School Section and winner of the Bernina School of Excellence entry by Alice McGuinness of St Matthew’s Collegiate, Masterton.

Gore designer Debbie Smith bought the house down when she won the open avant garde award and also won the People’s Choice Award with an intricate design called Papa Tuanuku.

The winning entry in the Glamour Open section by Jennie Hasler-Jacobs of Balclutha, which also won her the best use of fabric award.

“It’s my take on New Zealand history , telling my story,’’ she said after her win.

The design had taken about three years of work, and featured flora and fauna, she said.

A nautical-inspired jacket and shorts made of yacht sails and spinnakers by Alice McGuinness of St Matthew’s Collegiate in Masterton won the Macca Lodge Upcycled Award and the overall Bernina School Award of Excellence for entries from school pupils.

Dunstan said the design was innovative, and had been cleverly designed so that the labels on the sails were positioned in the right places on the garment.

“It could be worn by anyone and everyone, it is gender neutral and its a clever use of fabric,’’ he said.

On a night where anything and everything could and was modelled on the runway, Dunstan said the quality of the entries was exceptionally high.

“I’m quite proud that the entries this year were quite modernistic – they weren’t traditional, they were looking forward and pushing the boundaries,’’ he said.