Three Australian designers took home the top prizes at iD Fashion Week's International Emerging Designer Awards in Dunedin last night.
Stephanie Frig's collection took the third prize at the show. Photo: Sonia Sly
Droning guitars and driving bass set the pace for the International Emerging Designer runway show at the Dunedin town hall.
In a packed auditorium the audience were treated to eclectic collections from 38 designers hailing from New Zealand and around the world, with the show presented by Carol Hirschfeld.
Striking silhouettes by Demetra Kakopieros Photo: Sonia Sly
The two-and-half-hour event took the audience on a journey through a cross-section of commercial garments, wearable object art, applied craft and experimental textiles, while exaggerated silhouettes pushed the avant-garde envelope.
Notable collections that made an impact on the runway included Demetra Kakopeiros, commanding her audience with a hauntingly beautiful collection of black spikes, matching headdresses and skirts of cage-like proportions, while Alexandra Lane's white architectural interchangeable block layers provided immediate 'wow' factor.
The event was all about the big announcements at the end of the night.
All three winners hailed from Australia and were in awe of their win.
In addition to receiving third place, designer Stephanie Frig, 22, (University of Technology Sydney) also won an internship with Emilia Wickstead for her creative application of fabric development.
In second place, 22- year-old Hannah Kim (University of Technology Sydney) was inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and translated themes of beauty and darkness into a poetic-pop collection of pastels, hand embroidery, puff print and large layered sequins.
The big win for the night went to menswear designer Jordan Anderson (Queensland University of Technology), with his collection of bold stripes and logo-based sportswear. Anderson was in disbelief, but clearly elated about receiving the coveted award.
Winner Jordan Anderson says it's important to believe in yourself Photo: Sonia Sly
"I think my strength was in my brand identity and I think it's important for designers to have a commercial sensibility, because it's all about [selling] units at the end of the day. I'm just so humbled and validated that people believed in me," he said.
The 24-year-old designer takes away a cash prize of $6000 and the title of International Emerging Designer, 2016.