When colour tells a story

Judges are set to witness this season’s fashion paint colours from Resene - woven, smocked, crushed, quilted, embroidered, draped and pleated into extraordinary works of silk vying for 15 coveted places on the Resene Designer Runway this Fashion Week.

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Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion brings to life a collection designed and constructed by New Zealand’s freshest young design talent. Their work is inspired by a brief which takes their creative thought into an edgy contemporary world of colour and design, refuses ‘to bow to the convention of ordinary’ and embodies uplifting themes of feminine empowerment.

Design inspiration will range from old-school comic characters in Resene Daredevil to a green tufted couch in Resene Bingo to French glitterati attention-seeking in Resene Bullseye to a Mary Poppins re-make flying across the rooftops of England in Resene Blue Moon.

2018 is the fifth year of Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion.

It’s a project where Resene collaborates with the New Zealand Institute of Fashion Technology (NZ Fashion Tech). Together they give NZ Fashion Tech undergrads in their final year of study in Auckland and Wellington a chance to be part of a professional fashion shoot, direct their own portfolio photos behind the camera, appear in media coverage and feature in an on-line gallery hosted by Resene.

See the range of stunning colourful fashion looks created by NZ Fashion Tech students inspired by Resene paint colours. Get inspired to bring fresh colour into your home and wardrobe. View gallery...

Finalists attend a glittering opening night at Fashion Week and witness the opening Resene Designer Runway show with models who are wearing their looks stepping onto the runway first.

Each year students tell us how grateful they are for the commercial exposure this project brings, the career platform it builds and the splash of colour it gives their portfolios. We love seeing these talented young people immerse themselves wholeheartedly in their colour and illustrate to thousands of people at Fashion Week how colour tells a story. The winner of Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion 2018 will be announced at Fashion Week.

Colours weave learning magic in India

In 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and now 2018 NZ Fashion Tech Diploma students have been asked to create a work of fashion from silk as part of the Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion project.

Once originated in New Zealand, patterns are taken to India each year by those NZ Fashion Tech students who are awarded Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia.

As part of six weeks of collaborative learning in India, the NZ Fashion Tech students re-create the garments from a locally-sourced silk sari for a ‘grande finale’ fashion show hosted by the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology at their university campus in Sathyamangalam.

In 2018, NZ Fashion Tech has been awarded 15 Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia. So 15 looks made from silk, including some selected for New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland from 27 August until 2 September, will first be seen in India in July.

CEO of NZ Fashion Tech Feroz Ali says: “This group will take the total number of students from NZ Fashion Tech who’ve been given this exceptional opportunity over the past five years to 74.”

“In India our students see the full spectrum of production processes – from silk saris being hand-loomed in family homes to textile and garment manufacture on a vast scale. This learning opportunity is invaluable. When they return home to New Zealand they are able to share their experiences and knowledge and more importantly the cultural exchange with their peers,” he says.

Next article - True colours

In the Resene NZ Fashion Tech Colour of Fashion competition, talented young designers are given free rein with a beautiful colour palette. The project – now in its fifth year – will see the students’ work walk the runway at NZ Fashion Week later this month. We unveil some of our favourite designs ... more

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