Fashion

Zandra Rhodes en route to iD Fashion Week

iD Fashion Week, Dunedin
8 - 14 March 2010

British fashion guru Zandra Rhodes, who will be guest designer at the 2010 iD Dunedin Fashion Week (8 - 14 March), is looking forward to seeing the work of New Zealand’s emerging designers.

The designer, who’s been called ‘Princess of Punk’ and ‘Queen of Colour’, is renowned for her unique use of bold prints and passion for feminine patterns.

Rhodes is credited with putting London at the forefront of the international fashion scene in the 1970s. Her garments have adorned celebrities like Freddie Mercury, Jackie Onassis, Kylie Minogue and Naomi Campbell.

She has had a wide-ranging career which has included collaborating on a MAC make-up range and Royal Doulton china, as well as designing sets and costumes for international operas.

Emerging designers
Zandra Rhodes will display her current collection and some vintage items in Dunedin, but says the highlight will be judging the iD Emerging Designer Awards.

"I’m absolutely thrilled to be coming to beautiful New Zealand and very excited about my first ever visit to Dunedin and iD Fashion Week," Rhodes said.

"A highlight of the fashion week will be judging the emerging designer collections at the iD Awards show. I’ll be looking for originality and flair in their collections and that special something that sets them apart as a
designer."

It was a privilege to have such a fashion leader as part of the event, iD Fashion committee chairwoman Susie Staley said.

"Her business expertise, academic knowledge and attendance clearly establishes iD Fashion Week as a must-see week of events," Staley said.

iD Dunedin Fashion week
The Dunedin fashion event is now in its 11th year, and continues to grow in popularity.

The 2010 designer awards, on 11 March, will include a jewellery design category, and have attracted 120 entries from as far afield as Croatia and Switzerland.

Rhodes will be a guest judge for the emerging designer section. Other judges announced include Sunday Star Times fashion and beauty editor Katie Newton, Stefano Sopelza of Mittelmoda, and Dunedin sculptor and jeweller David McLeod.

The winner's collection will be shown alongside 16 other labels on the Dunedin Railway Station platform catwalk on two consecutive nights (12 - 13 March).

NZ fashion designers
New Zealand label designers NomD, Carlson, Mild Red, Rembrandt, Company of Strangers, Cherry Cotton Candy, twentysevennames and Charmaine Reveley are included in the line-up.

The 2010 Capsule Collections will see the return of Iris (Annette Cadogan), Jane Sutherland, Elusiv (Nicola Reilly) and BurtenShaw (Cheryl Burtenshaw), together with new designers Vaughan Geeson, Lou & Ash (Ava Sanders), and Lela Jacobs.

Five collections from 2009 Otago Polytechnic fashion graduates will add to the line-up of established designers.

Roxanna Zamani, Sophie Hardy, Bailey Meredith, Siobhan Moroney and Brigid Steeper will show alongside the winners from the 2010 iD Dunedin Emerging Designer Awards.

Background: Dunedin Fashion Week
Dunedin’s unique creative sub-culture has been credited for the city’s growing reputation for producing distinctive fashion style.

In 1999, a group of local fashion designers who recognised this potential in the city staged a one-off fashion event celebrating their key successes, profiling Dunedin's creative environment and encouraging emerging designers.

In 2000, the non-profit incorporated society id Dunedin Fashion was formed, and the show shifted to the Dunedin Railway Station Platform. It is now an annual event that has gained international recognition.

Staging the event in the heritage Dunedin Railway Station - one of New Zealand’s most photographed historic buildings - created a substantial increase in media coverage and audience numbers. The railway platform provides a unique 110m catwalk.

The Emerging Designer Awards, established in 2004, attract designers from the world’s most prestigious design schools. More than 120 entries from 19 countries have been received for the 2010 event, up from 11 countries in 2009.

The selected finalists will demonstrate the best emerging New Zealand and international talent in fashion, and the new jewellery category.

More information:

NZ fashion designer: Tanya Carlson

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