Luxurious fashion house gets behind iconic awards

Media release from BONZ
1 March 2012

Luxurious fashion house gets behind iconic awards

New Zealand’s most luxurious leatherwear and knitwear fashion house, BONZ Queenstown, has announced its support of the iconic Hokonui Fashion Design Awards by signing up as a major sponsor for 2012 and 2013.

In its commitment to the awards, BONZ is recognising the artistry, design talent and craftsmanship involved in the production of high fashion knitwear.

The BONZ Knitted Award for Machine Knitted and the BONZ Knitted Award for Hand Knitted designs is expected to drive entries from designers and knitters who are as passionate about yarn as BONZ owner Bonnie Rodwell.

“Knitwear design is in my blood, I’ve been doing it for nearly 30 years,” she said.

“During that time I’ve employed well over 2000 hand knitters to create beautiful wearable garments that last a lifetime, for my stores.”

Ms Rodwell said she was looking forward to supporting emerging designers by getting involved in Hokonui Fashion Awards.

“We have a lot of amazing design talent here in New Zealand and it’s important that we get behind that talent and offer ongoing support. I look forward to contributing to mentoring younger people and helping them achieve success, while avoiding the pitfalls that I may have encountered.”

The Hokonui Fashion Design Awards are firmly established as a key event on the national fashion calendar and attract interest from throughout New Zealand. Event Executive Director Heather Paterson said she was “delighted” to welcome BONZ to the sponsorship family.

“I’m very excited to have BONZ come on board,” she said.

“Our Southern region has a strong history of producing high quality wool, and with BONZ widely recognized as a premium quality knitwear fashion house, their support is a fantastic endorsement of these awards.”

Ms Rodwell has also agreed to participate in the student mentoring programme in the Solid Energy Secondary Schools competition as well as the Open competition.

“The mentoring from Bonnie will be a huge plus for the winner as hands on tutoring by a quality brand such as BONZ will be invaluable in developing their skills,” said Ms Paterson.

The 2012 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards are held in Gore in July. There are two events, the Hokonui Strictly Design Evening on Friday July 27th and the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards Gala Evening on Saturday July 28th.

Guests will see entries in the BONZ Knitted Awards at both events.

ENDS

More about BONZ

Creating an experience especially for overseas visitors who seek the best of New Zealand design and production, BONZ in the main Queenstown Mall is a fabulous shopping destination. Here you’ll find New Zealand’s finest hand-knits and leather jackets in a large, ground-floor boutique while upstairs a contemporary gallery features stunning works from the country’s best art and artisan creations.

BONZ buyers are highly experienced in sourcing the very best made in New Zealand products and staff can help with off-the-peg or custom made clothing, or the cultural stories and provenance behind exquisite artworks.

New Zealand is well known for its superb fine-fibre wool and soft, wonderfully produced leathers. A take home hand-knit or jacket is a ‘must’ as a useful and beautiful reminder of any visit. Elegant scarves, gloves and jewellery complete the look or provide fabulous gifts for friends and family.

Exploring the BONZ contemporary Art Gallery is to explore the works of New Zealand’s best artists and artisans across the disciplines of glass, ceramics, paintings, sculpture and home furnishings. You’ll find an amazing range of Mashada paintings, elegant Peter Viesnik glass, fabulous Peter Shearer pottery and much, much more.

More about Hokonui Fashion Awards

In 2008 the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards reached an exciting milestone celebrating their 20th anniversary. This year the Awards are 24 years of age and are the longest running fashion design awards of their type in NZ.

The Awards are firmly established as a key event on the national fashion calendar and continue to attract entries and interest from throughout New Zealand. Since 1988 the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards have been a competitive platform for all amateur designers, and have provided a valuable opportunity for both experienced and emerging participants to display their designs before a panel of high profile judges, and latterly audiences of over 1100 people.

From 2001 the Awards witnessed amazing growth, with the number of garments reaching the finals and appearing on stage exceeding organisers’ expectations, and sponsored prize money increasing annually. The awards have continued to attract judges of the calibre of Francis Hooper, Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, Benny Castle (all of ‘World’), Trelise Cooper, Kate Sylvester, Doris DuPont (Fashion Museum), James Dobson (Jimmy D), Liz Findley (Zambesi), Margi Robertson (Nom*D), Karen Walker and Nic Blanchet - and all have proved enthusiastic participants.

Increased support from key sponsors, combined with the event’s relocation to the Gore Town & Country Club Stadium, have collectively contributed to an improved Awards format and an opportunity to feature supplementary showcases from some of the country’s top designers.

© Scoop Media