Colour of fashion 2025

Fashion is in the air, and butterflies flew in the backdrop of the latest Resene Colour of Fashion photo shoot on one of the biggest days of the students’ academic year.

22 Whitecliffe students studying for the Diploma in Fashion from two year groups and three campuses presented their designs to the judges, a day that brings the energy, colour, challenge and reward of the industry they will graduate into at the end of the year.

Each garment, designed by this cohort of fashion talent, is meticulously-crafted by the students from silk twill in new Resene fashion colours.

The butterflies on the white walls of the studio, where judging and photography took place, were coloured in the project’s palette. They illustrate this year’s design theme – Colours of Change – and reflect the legacy Resene and Whitecliffe have built in twelve years, giving hundreds of graduating students a head-start in the industry.

Since its inception in 2014, Resene Colour of Fashion with Whitecliffe has supported students in their final year of a two-year Diploma in Fashion.

This year’s theme for Resene Colour of Fashion asks students to reflect on the world around them, the changing colours of their lives, their experiences, choices, challenges and the people who helped guide them towards fulfilment ‘like the shifting seasons or a river carving its course.’

The design brief reads: ‘This theme highlights the changing colours and the ebb and flow of life, focusing on the power of learning, resilience, and transformation, much like nature’s rich and ever-changing tapestry.’

Students have found inspiration for their designs in their own experience of change and in their Resene colours, with names like Resene Pandemonium, Resene Awaken, Resene Dream Big, Resene Smashed Avocado and Resene Wild Thing among the paint colours evoking their creative ideas.

The human brain, crustaceans, Lake Taupō, Valentine’s Day, pounamu, a baby’s quilt, childhood summers and the nostalgia of old movies are some of the diverse elements that feature in the design rationale students will outline to the judges on Friday.

Adrenalin-filled anticipation, lights, cameras, professional models and a judging panel are all part of the experience these talented young people look forward to on Judging Day.

They direct their own portfolio images from behind the camera, the finalists’ stories and photos are presented to media, and they will all show their designs at the Whitecliffe Graduate Showcase in Auckland and Wellington in November. Karen Warman of Resene says: “We are thrilled to have shared this project with our valued partner Whitecliffe for more than a decade. Together we’re bringing visibility to a generation of creative young talent.

“We love seeing the students immerse themselves in the story of their Resene fashion colour, reminding us all of the energy and meaning colour brings. We are proud to support this new group of fashion grads as they embark on their careers,” she says.

Doula Matheos Programme Leader at Whitecliffe’s Wellington campus says every year this project gives a taste of the experience students can expect in their fashion careers.

“Graduates of our programmes go on to excel in many roles, as diverse as merchandisers, buyers, costume designers, garment technicians, workroom assistants, patternmakers, machinists and fashion designers.

“Whitecliffe alumni are contributing their talents to brands like Weta Workshop, Entire Studios and Stolen Girlfriends Club among many others. Our curriculum, supported by Resene Colour of Fashion, prepares students for success in the contemporary fashion industry – in New Zealand and overseas,” she says.

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Resene Colour of Fashion with Whitecliffe

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