Mittelmoda Announcement for School of Fashion

Otago Polytechnic Media Release
For Immediate Release: Thursday 14 June

Mittelmoda Announcement celebration for School of Fashion

Otago Polytechnic Bachelor of Design (Fashion) student James Currie has been announced in the line-up of aspiring designers selected to present at this year’s Mittelmoda Fashion Festival in Gorizia, Italy.

Currie, the only New Zealander to be selected for the prestigious competition, submitted a portfolio of his ‘Circle Plus Square Equals’ collection to a panel of judges that included representatives from international labels John Galliano, Benetton and Alacantara.

More than 600 aspiring designers from around the world applied for the 28 Festival places.

“It’s terrifying, but exciting,” says Currie who cites iconic Dunedin label Nom*D and London-based designer Gareth Pugh amongst his chief inspirations.

His collection explores his own ‘pseudo-scientific’ theory of where the concept of gender might go in the future. “I’m exploring gender as an accessory – something you can wear rather than something you are. I’ve broken gender down into simple shapes.”

Currie’s first collection piece, the only one completed so far is all in black making use of fabrics for texture. ‘Female’ is represented by circle in his design, ‘Male’ by ‘square’.

The evaluation criteria judges followed to select the finalists included creativity, potential tailoring skills, and internationality, in line with Mittelmoda’s task of matching internationall talent with the needs of brands on the lookout for new creative ideas.

Two Australians have been selected for the competition, including Sam Fisher who won his place at this year’s 2006 Vodafone Emerging Designer Awards in Dunedin. One Japanese and one Indian designer have also been selected.

The remaining 25 places have been filled by European students from such highly-regarded institutes as the Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London and Italy’s Accademia di Costume e Moda.

Currie’s selection is yet another coup for the Otago Polytechnic School of Fashion who are still celebrating the success of graduate Shola Steele, a prizewinner in the 2006 Mittelmoda Festival, now undertaking an internship with Benetton in Italy.

First prize in the competition is 10,000 Euro with internships available at some of Europe’s most prestigious fashion houses.

ENDS

© Scoop Media