35 Finalists Selected For Newmarket Young Designer

35 Finalists Selected For Newmarket Young Designer

Thirty-five finalists have been selected to go through to the next stage of the 2010 Newmarket Young Fashion Designer Award from a record number of 72 registrations. Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design selected the finalists from portfolios submitted by talented teenagers from around the country.

The 35 young finalists will now construct their designer garment for judging, with the winner to be announced at the awards’ evening on Sunday 17 October at the Raye Freedman Arts Centre at Epsom Girls Grammar.

“The talent has come from all around the place. The 35 finalists represent students from 22 schools throughout the North Island with four finalist from Wellington Girls College who are participating for the first year,” says Lea Worth, award organiser and Newmarket Business Association marketing manager.

Mrs Worth says Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design judges Belinda Watt (Head of Department Fashion Design) and Liz MacDonald (Fashion Lecturer) advised that there was an amazing amount of talent and they were blown away by the quality of some of the portfolios.

“The challenge facing the finalists now is to translate their drawings and designs into something that looks great on the catwalk,” says Lea Worth.

In its third year the ‘Looking to the Future – Newmarket Young Fashion Designer Award’ was open to any aspiring young New Zealand fashion designer aged between 15 and 18. The winner will travel to New York Fashion Week to work backstage for the Karen Walker show. The entire competition is organised by the Newmarket Business Association and sponsored by Business World Travel, Qantas, Karen Walker, Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design, and Taylor Boutique. The winner of the Newmarket Young Fashion Designer Award will fly Qantas for two to New York. He or she will get to work backstage at the Karen Walker Show at New York Fashion Week and will receive $1,000NZ spending money.

The winning designer will also receive a tuition grant towards Year One and Year Two of study for a Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design Scholarship and a two-week design assistant internship working alongside New Zealand designer Vicki Taylor in the Taylor Workroom.

The 35 finalists have until 17 September to submit their garments for judging. From the 27 September to 10 October the finalists’ garments will be on display upstairs in the Rialto Centre on Broadway, Newmarket. As well as viewing the garments, the public will be able to vote in the People’s Choice Award. The awards evening and fashion show will take place on 17 October.

ENDS

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