Westfield Style Pasifika Winners Announced

October 19th, 2011

Westfield Style Pasifika Winners Announced

The winners and runners up for the Westfield Style Pasifika: Best of Pasifika NZ 2011 have been announced.

They are:

Pasifika Traditionally Inspired category, awarded by Tohu Wines:
Highly commended: Christopher Woods
Winner: Hone Bailey

Colonial Pasifika 3 Piece Collection category, awarded by Max:
Highly Commended: Karen Cooney
Winner: Nadine Freundlich-Rathjens

Multicultural Pasifika Style category, awarded by Resene:
Highly Commended: Lucie Sutichanta
Winner: Liz Ung

Supreme winner Westfield Style Pasifika 2011, sponsored by Westfield, awarded by Prime Minister John Key
Winner: Nadine Freundlich-Rathjens
Runner up: Hone Bailey

The supreme winner and runner up were announced at the VIP corporate show, with the award presented by Prime Minister John Key.

The winners were chosen from 45 finalists across the three categories who displayed their garments at the event. Over 300 aspiring designers entered garments into the show and the designs were whittled down by a panel of judges including Liz Mitchell of Liz Mitchell Design, Denise Le Strange-Corbet of WORLD and Meegan Webster of Max fashions.

Westfield Style Pasifika’s producer Stan Wolfgramm said this year was about about solidifying Pasifika's identity for all new Zealanders on a national and international level.

“We're happy to say we've fulfilled all our expectations and more,” Wolfgramm said. “It was an amazing show with new designers entering from all over New Zealand, from the best of New Zealand's designers taking part and the best of the world's international designers, all sharing the stage with our cast of over 300 models and performers, to give a truly New Zealand Pasifika experience to be proud of."

At this year’s show up and coming Kiwi clothing designers shared the catwalk alongside the world’s top fashion names including Elizabeth Emmanuel – designer of Lady Diana’s famous wedding dress, Ireland’s John Rocha, and Japan’s Yamamoto, as a highlight of the Real New Zealand Festival, which celebrates all things New Zealand during Rugby World Cup.

Prime Minister John Key invited the top designers from each RWC country to create a one-off garment for Westfield Style Pasifika using NZ Merino Wool and reflecting a rugby-inspired theme, while the top New Zealand designers have created pieces that embrace New Zealand’s uniqueness.

The show also featured one-off creations by New Zealand’s top labels World, Sabatini, Annah Stretton, Zambesi, Liz Mitchell, Untouched World, Kingan Jones, Tanya Carlson, Lucie Boshier, and Kiri Nathan.

Westfield Style Pasifika, now in its 17th year, is an iconic New Zealand event and the world’s largest indigenous fashion event. The awards within the event challenge designers to produce cutting edge fashion inspired by the unique and colourful fusion of Pasifika that makes us distinctive. As a backdrop to the fashion show, Westfield Style Pasifika celebrates NZ’s identity as a Pacific Island nation through a 90-minute entertainment spectacular that highlights who we are as a nation.

ENDS

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