MEDIA RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 10 2013

Designers Invited to Be Part of Id Dunedin Fashion Week Anniversary

Fashion designers looking to show at next year’s iD Dunedin Fashion Week’s 15th Anniversary are being called to register their interest for the iD Fashion Show and the iD International Emerging Designer Awards.

The iD Fashion Show – New Zealand’s longest standing retail fashion show – will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2014, as part of a sensational week of fashion events planned, including prestigious overseas guests, international collaborations, retrospective celebrations, and the 10th anniversary of the iD International Emerging Designer Awards. The show, which will be held on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, on the Southern Hemisphere’s longest catwalk at Dunedin’s historic Railway Station, promises to be the best yet.

High profile and emerging Kiwi designers are being asked to submit portfolios for the hugely popular public fashion event. Fashion designers interested in participating must be commercially producing directional adult fashion and be able to demonstrate an affiliation with Dunedin – such as retailing in the city, or having lived or studied in Dunedin. Selections are made by industry professionals based on the designer portfolios submitted.

iD Dunedin Fashion Week Committee Chair Susie Staley says the iD Fashion Show has grown to become a must-see global fashion event, showcasing many of New Zealand’s leading designers, alongside international fashion royalty. Past guests have included Zandra Rhodes, Akira Isogawa, Lutz Huelle, and last year, event goers were dazzled by the hats of celebrity milliner Stephen Jones and evening wear by Kiwi designer Yvonne Bennetti.     

“Every year we aim to captivate crowds with the very latest winter collections from a stable of Dunedin’s most beloved designers, combined with new talent, and guest designers. As we hit our 15-year milestone, we’ll be celebrating in style with 2014 delivering a fabulous show that we want our fashion luminaries to be part of.”

Applications are also open for next year’s iD International Emerging Designer Awards, to be held in Dunedin on Thursday April 3. Celebrating its 10th year, new prizes are on offer for this prestigious competition, which provides an international platform for rising local and international fashion design talent to showcase their innovative collections and gain further professional catwalk experience and networking opportunities.

Finalists have access to high profile established and emerging designers, a judging panel made up of industry experts – which in the past has included leading fashion authorities such as Hilary Alexander, Nicholas Huxley, Glynis Traill-Nash and Karen Webster, alongside international and Kiwi fashion designers – and a supportive professional environment.

“The iD International Emerging Designer Awards is an incredible opportunity for international fashion graduates wanting to get noticed,” says Dr Margo Barton, iD Dunedin Fashion Week committee member and Academic Leader (Fashion) from the Otago Polytechnic School of Design.

“All our finalists get to meet and be critiqued by some of the world’s leading fashion notables, which can open doors in ways they’ve never imagined. Plus, networking with other designers starting out can be an incredible source of information and inspiration. Emerging designers should be working on their applications now.”

To mark the 10 years of the Awards, this year’s top prize is worth NZ$10,000, with other cash and special prizes on offer. Designers submitting an entry to the iD Awards must be recent graduates (within the past five years) or final-year students enrolled in a recognised diploma, BDes, BA, MA Fashion, or other related area.  

iD Fashion Show submissions must be received by Friday 18 October, 2013.
iD International Emerging Designer Award applications must be received by Friday 29 November, 2013.

For more information on iD Show selection and iD Award application forms visit www.idfashion.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media