Top graduate designers secure their spot on the iD Dunedin Fashion Week runway

Six stand-out fashion graduate designers from the Otago Polytechnic School of Design have been selected to show their collections at next year’s iD Dunedin Fashion Show on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 April.

Duncan Chambers-Watson, Kelsi Bennett, Daniel Kwok, Michaela Poots, Simone Watson and Marc Jun will showcase their final-year collections alongside high profile New Zealand designers, international and national guests, and emerging international designers in a special section at the main runway show at Dunedin’s iconic Railway Station.

Chambers-Watson, originally from Lyttleton, produced a menswear collection inspired by religious iconography in dystopian science fiction. Prior to studying fashion, Chambers-Watson worked with kids with disabilities and taught outdoor education. Whilst studying, he also interned for Carol Christian Poell and Trelise Cooper, showed at Shanghai Fashion Week, and styled Sweet Mix Kids for their recent appearance at the New Zealand Music Awards.

Daniel Kwok had always had his heart set on a career in fashion. Originally from Hong Kong and schooled in Timaru, Kwok’s collection ‘Dynasty of Benediction’ reflects his past and present influences. It contains clear references to both Eastern and Western links and collides these two contrasting cultures together.

Michaela Poots was a former top Kiwi snow skiing athlete, however due to a career-ending injury she looked to fashion as a new focus. Her collection is based on the notion of completion, the abuse of beauty and the wabi-sabi desire of “things” imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.

Christchurch-based Simone Watson went straight into the fashion program from high school. Her collection is based on physicist Stephen Hawking’s idea that in the future, design will look and think about things biologically rather than mechanically.

Originally hailing from Timaru, Kelsi Bennett studied psychology before being accepted into the fashion program at Otago Polytechnic. Bennett’s collection is inspired by biker gang culture and ‘90s nostalgia.

Four of these selected designers - Poots, Kwok, Watson and Chambers-Watson - were also part of a nine-strong contingent from the Otago Polytechnic who showed at Shanghai Fashion Week this year.

Dr. Margo Barton, Otago Polytechnic’s School of Design academic leader and principal lecturer (Fashion) says, “The selected students each show some very meaningful themes and innovative techniques in their collections. In particular, all the graduates developed their own textiles, ranging from textile printing, embroidery, machine knitting and texturising, which gives their collections a creative edge.

“Showing on the catwalk alongside Dunedin fashion icons Nom*d, Carlson and Mild Red as well as the special guest designers is the most amazing career launching pad for these talented young designers.”

Tickets to the hugely popular iD Dunedin Fashion Week runway shows will go on sale on January 30th.

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