Middle College Wearable Arts Show 2019

Music, lights, action…chicken wire, zip ties, inner tubes, bread bag tags, 7000 straws, used coffee cups, bottle tops, chip packets, juice cartons, used rugby tickets, loo roll inners, disposable cutlery, a few rolls of duct tape… and a whole lot of imagination! What an amazing show!

Last night, Saint Kentigern’s own ‘fashionistas’ stepped out on the catwalk for a spectacular show, as students in Years 7-10 confidently ‘strutted their stuff’ in in a range of ‘wearable art’ garments they had designed and constructed themselves.  With over 60 costumes on show and each section introduced by a dance group, there were close to 200 Middle College students involved, with support from choreographers and dancers in Year 11. With generous prizes on offer across five categories, excitement was high, ticket sales were brisk and there wasn’t a spare seat in the house as an audience of almost 700 family members turned up in support!

For the eighth year in a row, we are truly grateful to two remarkable women who have given freely of their time since the very first show.

Kiri Whitford-Joynt, director of both Red Studio and 3wj+boy Talent Management agency, has been a stalwart since the outset, spending many patient hours over the weekend before the show putting the models through their paces to gain confidence out on the catwalk. ‘Step out with beautiful lines up your spine, raise your chin, walk to showcase your garment.’ On the night, Kiri continued to help, organising the many stage entrances and exits. This year she was joined by her daughter, Old Collegian, Maddi Whitford-Joynt to lend assistance.

Media personality, Wendy Meyer, returned once again as the continuity announcer, setting a relaxed yet professional tone for the performers and keeping the audience involved. Over the years, she has become the ‘voice and face’ of the show.

The three judges this year were Belinda Watt, HOD Fashion Design at Whitecliffe College, Liz Farr, also from Whitecliffe and mixed media artist, Jenny Foster. Judging was not an enviable task and took lengthy deliberation! With entries across five categories, the judges said they found judging particularly difficult and were pleased to be able to refer to the judging criteria:

• Creativity, zest and innovation
• How well the garment represents the category
• Presentation and construction of the design.

The Kiwiana and Pacifika section asked for garments that celebrated what it is like to live in New Zealand and the South Pacific, taking inspiration from the flora, fauna and unique personalities of our cultures. The Avant Garde section required the use of pre-loved materials to produce a garment that is extravagant, extrovert yet stylish. The Science Fiction section called on designers to think out of this world with a futuristic concept. Much To Sew About Nothing drew on the Elizabethan era with its luxurious materials and vivid colours. The final section for the evening saw the lights dimmed for the Illumination garments, designed to light up and glow in the dark.

The resultant range of garments on display was awe-inspiring, as was the confidence for each young model to strut the catwalk alone in front of such a big audience!

After much discussion, Amelia Evangelidakis won the Year 7-8 Supreme Award with her much talked about ocean-inspired, spikey kina! The hundreds of spray-painted bamboo skewers sticking out were a real surprise as she turned. Amelia was also awarded the Whitecliffe Award for the most innovative use of sustainable materials.

Stella Carter, Jenna Sholtz and Emily Robb worked together on the winning design that earned the Year 9-10 Supreme Award with their Rubber Couture; a simple, elegant black frock – made from old tyres and inner tubes!

The combination of fashion and dance made this a fantastic showcase of student-inspired creativity and it was greatly enjoyed by the huge audience – and the students who took part!

Our sincere thanks to Year 8 teacher, Ms Ashleigh McLean for the enormous amount of work preparing the students, with support from Head of Performing Arts, Ms Naomi Wilson. Also, Mr Ichiro Harada and his team of Year 11 choreographers for their work with the dancers and Mr Glen Mortensen and his sound and lighting crew. They can now relax knowing that they, too, have done a fantastic job!

Our thanks also to the Saint Kentigern College Parents and Friends for their generous support, providing the prizes for the evening.

What a fantastic night!

YEAR 7 AND 8 SUPREME WINNER and WHITECLIFFE AWARD
Amelia Evangelidakis
Kina

YEAR 9 AND 10 SUPREME WINNER 
Stella Carter Jenna Scholtz and Emily Robb
Rubber Couture

KIWIANA AND PASIFIKA
Year 7 -10 
Cayden Hywood and Emelia Pulman
Land of the Long White Cloud

PRE-LOVED AVANT GARDE
Year 7 and 8

Sophie Ziegler
Angel of Nature

Year 9 and 10
Neve Webster
Don’t be Negative

SCIENCE FICTION
Year 7-10

Kelly Mckinnon
Veleno Curador

MUCH TO SEW ABOUT NOTHING
Year 7-10

Sophia Russell
Colourful picnic

ILLUMINATION
Year 7 and 8
Sienna Williams
Coral Catastrophe

Year 9 and 10
Karya Atalag
Gargantua

HIGHLY COMMENDED DESIGNERS

THIS YEAR’S JUDGES

Belinda Watt

Belinda is Head of Fashion and Sustainability at Whitecliffe College, where she and her colleagues have been pioneers in developing an innovative and leading Fashion and Sustainability programme. She has worked as a freelance fashion designer in Wellington and Auckland, as well as owned her own men’s and women’s label, Equinox. Her current creative work has a focus on sustainable and ethical practices, including natural dyeing and hand weaving, as well as highly crafted garment designs. Belinda judged this year’s Art to Wear Awards at Botany Downs Secondary College as well as Saint Kentigern College and Edgewater College’s Wearable Arts Competitions in 2018. She was Head Judge for the Newmarket Young Fashion Designer Award, from 2015 – 2017, and a judge for the Sylvia Park Off-The Rack Fashion Awards. 

Liz Farr

Liz has been lecturing in the Fashion Design department of Whitecliffe College of Fashion and Sustainability since 2005.  She is a graduate of the London College of Fashion and specialises in pattern making and garment construction. Liz has worked as a patternmaker and sample room manager in the clothing industry in the UK as well as New Zealand, for couture and ready to wear designers including Zandra Rhodes, Adrienne Winkelmann.  Liz was a judge on the panel of the Newmarket Young Fashion Designer Award 2010-2017 and the Sylvia Park Off-The-Rack Fashion Awards.

Jenny Foster

Jenny is a mixed media artist with a passion for Wearable Art and loves clashing art with fashion. She was a winner and finalist in Manukau City Cult Couture six years running from 2010 - 2015, Hokanui Fashion Awards 2013 - 2015, Oversew Awards 2014 – 2015 and Shoes Extravaganza 2015. A creator of Textile sculptures, Jenny has participated as an invited artist in the Affair of the Heart Art extravaganza for 8 years. She has been recognised in her community, having been awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship  2016 and a Community Service Award 2013 from Pakuranga Rotary Club and A Zonta Significant Women’s Award 2017.

Click here to view the gallery.