Westpac’s Top 3 On Their Way To Fashion Week!

Media Release
Tuesday 16 August, 2011

Westpac’s Top 3 On Their Way To Fashion Week!

The public has spoken! A fashionable field that began with 58 competing designers, and was whittled down to a Top 10 by an expert judging panel, has now been further refined by popular choice to reveal the Top 3!

Over the past twelve days, the public has had the opportunity to influence the outcome of the Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition through online voting. When voting closed on Sunday 14 August, almost 11,000 votes had been cast.

The Top 3 (bio and collection info and images attached), in no particular order, are:

Georgia Currie, Christchurch

A final year student enrolled in the Diploma in Fashion Technology and Design at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Georgia’s desert-toned collection is titled, ‘Wonder Axis’.

Trish Peng & Qiulae Wong, Auckland

A third year student enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Fashion Design) at Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design, Trish recently formed a label partnership with Qiulae, who is in the final year of a BA/LLB at the University of Auckland. Their feminine, Utopia-inspired collection is titled, ‘Land of Omelas’.

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Miriam White, Wellington

A graduate of the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) at Massey University, Miriam’s preppy collection is titled, ‘The Prelude’.

The Top 3 mini-collections can be viewed on the Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/westpacyoungdesigner

Georgia Currie and Miriam White will now be flown to Auckland, joining Trish Peng and Qiulae Wong at New Zealand Fashion Week. By advancing to the final stage of the competition, the young designers have won the opportunity to present their designs on the country’s highest profile catwalk.

On Thursday 1 September, this year’s judging panel – photographer and stylist Karen Inderbitzen-Waller, musician and designer Boh Runga, and Zambesi menswear designer Dayne Johnston – will reconvene at the Westpac RED COLLECTION show. After a dramatic runway walk-off in front of a live audience of business leaders and fashion industry heavyweights, the winner will be announced.

The winner of the Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition will receive a Westpac bank account with NZ$5000, plus dedicated business banking advice. This year’s prize also includes a year-long professional mentorship from successful businesswoman-turned-designer, Angela Lewis.

The Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition is an innovative initiative, creating a launch pad for emerging fashion designers, as well as offering mentoring and assistance in building their business. The competition is open to students who are currently completing a New Zealand fashion based tertiary course, or have graduated from a New Zealand fashion based tertiary course within the last four years.

Key Competition Dates:
Monday 27 June, 2011 – Entries opened
Wednesday 3 August, 2011 – Top 10 finalists announced on Facebook, public voting commenced

Midnight, Sunday 14 August, 2011 – Public voting concluded
Tuesday 16 August, 2011 – Top 3 finalists announced
8pm, Thursday 1 September, 2011 – Westpac RED COLLECTION show, winner announced live!

Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition 2011 Prize Package:
NZ$5000 in a Westpac business account
Mentoring from a Westpac RED COLLECTION designer for 1 year
Business banking advice from Westpac for 1 year

Westpac Young Fashion Designer Competition official Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/westpacyoungdesigner

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