Ancient stories inspire Edible Fashion Awards

Edible Fashion Awards - Media Release 28.11.16
For immediate release

Ancient stories inspire Edible Fashion Awards

The Edible Fashion Awards is set to continue as a firm fixture on the Hawke’s Bay event calendar, with the announcement of the date and theme for 2017.

‘Myth and Legend’ has been revealed as next year’s theme, which should offer entrants plenty of opportunity to push their creative boundaries, says Sandra Hazlehurst, Chair of the Hastings Arts and Culture Trust, which runs the event.

Ms Hazlehurst says the theme was chosen for its wide scope, with entrants being able to draw on historical, mystical or legendary characters from any number of cultures or traditions. “Designers can either look to modern day legends for inspiration or step back from popular culture and explore the richness of stories from the past,” says Ms Hazlehurst.

The 2017 evening extravaganza is scheduled for Saturday the 8th of July, a month later than this year’s event. Ms Hazlehurst says the date coincides with the end of term two, giving students more time to put together their creations, as well as offering schools the opportunity to tie it in with the term’s course work. “Last year for the first time, several schools incorporated the Edible Fashion Awards as part of their curriculum and we would love to see more follow suit.”

Spearheading the organising team for the 2017 event is arts manager, producer, writer and actress, Kelie Jensen. Ms Jensen is the current Executive Director of the National Youth Drama School and is part of the team that produces the Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama, a Bachelor of Business Studies and is a qualified Chartered Accountant, so is uniquely placed to manage both the artistic and business aspects of the event.

Ms Jensen returned to New Zealand in 2012 with her Canadian husband and young family and says she is excited to see how much is going on in our region creatively. “It really feels like there is an incredible wave of energy feeding our cultural community and it's coming from inside, being driven locally, and that's a really healthy and positive thing.”

As the only creative design show of its kind in Hawke’s Bay, the Edible Fashion Awards continues to rise in popularity, with significant growth in both entries and audience numbers in 2016. Ms Jensen says she was blown away by the standard of entries earlier this year and is delighted to be taking over the reigns of the 2017 event.

“The awards inspire creative expression across a such a broad spectrum of our community and past winners have gone on to success and international recognition at the World of Wearable Art and New York Fashion Week,” says Ms Jensen.

Now into its twelfth year and with more than $9,000 in prize money up for grabs, the Awards are beginning to attract interest from outside the region, a trend Ms Jensen hopes to continue.

“I look forward to working with the Hastings Art and Culture Trust Board to build on this success and grow the Awards into a nationally recognised event.”

Edible Fashion Awards
8th July 2017
www.ediblefashionawards.co.nz

ENDS

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