FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 03/10/2016
Senorita AweSUMO takes the theme of 'connections' to the next level with 2 collaborations for this years Vogel St Party Fashion show FRAMED: Fashion Insight.
The RASA School of Dance Advanced Contemporary Class has taken on the challenge of portraying Senorita AweSUMO's current
state of homelessness and search for sustainable shelter into a 7 min movement accompanied by music from Le Coolies
album KAKA. The 6 dancers will be wearing bamboo and organic cotton blend zerowaste diamond back T's with water bathed
colour in Permaset inks by Senorita AweSUMO. Their other prop is a form of SHELTER made from tent canvas donated from
the Otago Museum Who Cared? Otago Nurses in WWI exhibition which closed earlier in the year.
The RASA team bring emotion and movement into a difficult but prominent situation that faces our society today. A
Journey of space, contemplation and the barriers of reality. A beautiful portrayal of need, want, sacrifice and renewal.
Senorita AweSUMO thanks the dancers for engaging in her resourceful journey
The second connection is with Will Luskie from Studio 2 Margaret Freeman Gallery. Senorita AweSUMO and Will met during
The Design Kids monthly meet up at Studio 2/Margaret Freeman Gallery where Will expressed interest in Fashion
illustration.
Senorita AweSUMO is the lead catalyst for the Vogel Street Party Fashion Show as one of Just Ateliers Founders and asked
Will if he would be interested in participating in this years show either with illustration or textile printing. The
idea to create a large scale illustrative work of one of Senorita AweSUMO's zerowaste dresses was formed through
conversation with Will, what he felt most comfortable doing as this is a first for him in creating something of such
magnitude. He is excited for the opportunity to work at scale and show his interpretation of Fashion.
Dancers:
Roxanne Seath
Amelia Rogers
Fairleigh Gilmour
Megan Ellis
Rowan Stanley
Megan Wilson
RASA School of Dance Established by Lisa Wilkinson in 2003.
500 students. 52 Classes. 6 days a week.
Every week, dancers of all ages and abilities enjoy participating in hip hop, contemporary, jazz, tap, breakdance, or
Bollywood classes at Rasa School of Dance. They are encouraged to have fun, and pursue their passion with excellence.
RASA Advanced Contemporary Class Choreographed by Alexis Patrylak
Lexy comes from a diverse background of dance and performance styles. Much of her vocabulary is deeply rooted in ballet,
having started her dance career as a professional in ballet scene. Since then she has trained in a variety of styles
which has led to opportunities to work with highly respected artists and companies including the Trisha Brown Dance
Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and Doug Elkins. In later years, she has also developed a choreographic
viewpoint involving the manipulation of classical lines into a pedestrian language, which is fun and inclusive.
email: rasa@e3.net.nz
answer ph: 03 4778288
William Luskie, 22, Dunedin.
In 2013 Will joined the local art studio at Studio 2/Margaret Freeman Gallery at 83 Moray Place where he attends a
weekly art session. The artists work informally and self directed in this space occasionally collaborating on
exhibitions and artworks. For example the Fringe Festival, Matariki and Fair trade collaborations.
Will enjoys playing with patterns, shapes and textile printing this lead to an interest in fashion. He began fashion
illustrating in 2011 and experiments with illustrations and themes surrounding clothing, he has trailed a diverse range
of colour and form to identify his own tastes and create an interesting portfolio of work.
Will is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to identify their own quality of life. He is a voice for
the disabled community at People First and participates in many panels, boards, forums and advisory groups. In doing
this Will hopes to gain more opportunities to connect his community.
People First New Zealand is a self advocacy organisation that is led and directed by people with learning (intellectual)
disability. People First is part of an international movement fighting for the rights and inclusion of all people with
learning disability.
In 2014 Will painted a Chorus Box located at the Caversham and Forbury corner with an animal theme. He also participates
in the GASP Dance Collective which performs at the Fringe Festival.
Senorita AweSUMO
Fiona Clements. Pakeha, Kai Tahu, Clan Gordon, Craftivist, Zerowaste Textile Practitioner.
I grew up in Waitati, Dunedin. Connected closely with nature and environmentally minded, my beliefs are reflected in my
textile design.
Senorita AweSUMO is my response to workplace related harm. Re-examination of my own beliefs and experience took myself
and Senorita AweSUMO into a new phase of life, growing a holistic lifestyle, nurturing and nourishing the whole.
I believe that designers can serve their community by providing solutions to problems. Witnessing the amount of waste
created in commercial fashion production, I set about creating a solution.
An opportunity to create unique garments and provide a local solution to a problem facing the fashion system globally.
Reducing waste without compromising style. My designs aim to mitigate environmental harm from modern fashion production.
Up cycled garments minimise impact to the environment from disposable consumer items.
Utilising a textile resource recovered from landfill, commercial off cuts, and recycling centres, adding value to
otherwise discarded materials.
Senorita AweSUMO empowers ethical and conscious consumers with unique environmental fashion.
Encouraging conscious consumption by spreading awareness and giving an environmental choice in clothing.
Global problem, Local solution.
Fiona is a voluntary member of the Permanent External Advisory Committee at the Otago Polytechnic School of Design.
Fiona was recently appointed to the Fashion Revolution working committee for Australia and New Zealand.
Senorita AweSUMO is a Fellowship 500 member of the Ethical Fashion Forum.
In 2015 Senorita AweSUMO received a Highly Commended from the Keep Dunedin Beautiful Trust for Promoting reusable
fashion.
Fiona is also the Founder of Just Atelier Trust alongside Fiona Jenkin, we created this Trust because we felt the
awareness surrounding ethical fashion and where our clothes are really coming from was missing from consumer society. We
produce the Vogel St Party Fashion Show each year and run MEND/MAKE Awesome and Capsule Creation workshops monthly. In
2016 we created a week long pop up for Fashion Revolution Week in Dunedin titled UNSTITCHED: Local Fashion Revolution,
with the Urban Dream Brokerage Team.
Zerowaste life in Design. http://justatelier.org.nz/