fashion tech,
Colour of Fashion project gives the nod to black for the first time.
Olli Paroli (19) of Wellington combines a silk camisole with a deconstructed men's shirt to evoke the separation of lovers in his design while Clare Weterings (19) also of Wellington structures a pantsuit to mirror the architecture of a Swiss watch museum with a new silhouette emerging from every angle.
Rawi Rangi (20) of Auckland combines her Maori Samoan woven flax heritage with korowai in a fashion pantsuit in "mystery" blues and greens while her Auckland classmate Samantha-Jane Gilliver (27) creates a work of origami in black silk at the waist of her poppy-themed red dress.
In May, 17 students studying at NZ Fashion Tech chose from a line-up of saris woven in India – hand-loomed in exquisite colours inspired by Resene paint colours from a new fashion palette like Resene Hashtag green, Resene Wishing Well blue and Resene Daredevil orange.
This year there was also Resene Gumboot black grey and Resene All Black black to choose from.
It's the first time black tones have been part of the colour line-up for the Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion project, now in its third year, but as Karen Warman of Resene says: "We decided a New Zealand collection showcasing the Colour of Fashion wouldn't be truly complete without black."
Celebrating 70 years of making paint for New Zealand this year, Resene likes to keep exploring new, eye-catching ways to bring its fashion colours to life, while also giving unique opportunities to young Kiwis keen to exhibit their design talent – in colour.
Ten stunning looks, designed and made from silk by Diploma students at NZ Fashion Tech - from Auckland and Wellington - as part of their academic course work, were chosen by the judges to open the Resene Designer Runway scheduled in the main shed on four days at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland in August.
In 2014, 2015 and again in 2016 NZ Fashion Tech Diploma students have been asked to create a work of fashion from hand-loomed silk as part of the Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion project.
The Resene-coloured silk saris for the project are created by families of weavers working with ancient looms in their homes in a southern Indian sari village called Doddampalayam, just outside of Sathyamangalam, 70kms from the city of Coimbatore.
Once originated in New Zealand, patterns are taken to India each year by those NZ Fashion Tech students who win Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia.
As part of six weeks of collaborative learning in India, arranged by the Giles Brooker Group who lead New Zealand-India education exchanges in the tertiary sector, the NZ Fashion Tech students re-create the garments from a new silk sari for a 'grande finale' fashion show hosted by the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology at their vast and modern university campus in Sathyamangalam.
In 2016, NZ Fashion Tech has again won nine Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia. So nine looks made from silk saris, including some selected for the New Zealand Fashion Week catwalk in Auckland in August, will first be seen in India in July.
Director of NZ Fashion Tech Val Marshall-Smith says: "This group will take the total number of students from NZ Fashion Tech who've been given this exceptional opportunity to 44. The experience is so immense and empowering for these young people. We're certain it will enhance their careers and their lives in many different ways."
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