Carlson Collects Dunedin Emerging Business Award

Carlson Collects Dunedin Emerging Business Award

Hot on the heels of a standout show at L'Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week, Carlson has won the Emerging Business Award at the prestigious Westpac Dunedin Business Awards 2002.

Carlson was named the winner of the Emerging Business Award at a 400-head award dinner in Dunedin on Friday night. The awards are judged on excellence in business performance and the ability to innovate, challenge and prosper. The Supreme Business of the Year Award went to Fisher & Paykel Appliances.

Dunedin-based designer Tanya Carlson is known for stunning collections which marry a strong concept with superb tailoring and exquisite detail. Her latest creation was a custom-made wedding dress for Jo Randell, new wife of All Black Captain Taine Randell.

In the last year, Carlson has also built a strong platform for business success with the appointment of a board and managing director, and the accolade of last October being named the country's 34th fastest growing business in the inaugural Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu/Unlimited magazine Fast 50 rankings.

Tanya Carlson says the latest award recognises that fashion is about more than frocks. "The Emerging Business Award is a real honour and confirms our commitment to the business of fashion. Fashion is my first love, but I do realise it's not enough to be a great designer, you also need to have the business fundamentals firmly in place," Tanya Carlson says.

"I would also like to pay tribute to our amazing staff, and to thank retailers and suppliers for their support during a year of outstanding challenges and opportunities for growth."

Last month, Tanya Carlson unveiled her latest collection - Winter 2003 - to international media and buyers at L'Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week. Titled Sweet Child, the collection pays tribute to the flamboyant eloquence of rock royalty, giving a modern interpretation to iconic fabrics and shapes - lace, velvets and frockcoating through to skintight satin jeans and ringleader and ringmaster's coats.

This latest collection continues the strong theming of Carlson's runway success at last year's Fashion Week with a collection called The Fall of the Winter Palace. This Winter 2002 collection combined influences from Russian aristocracy through to gypsy styling and military emblems. It was followed by this year's acclaimed Summer 2002/03 collection, titled No More Twist, which put a modernist spin on 18th century tailoring.

For more on Carlson, check out www.tanyacarlson.com

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