2013 iD International Emerging Designer winners deliver diversity, professionalism and a global focus

Global inspiration combined with unique detailing was behind the winning collection at the ninth iD International Emerging Designer Awards held on Thursday at the Lion Foundation Arena, Edgar Centre, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Otago Polytechnic graduate Rakel Blom – originally from Iceland – took out the top Peroni First Place Prize at the iD Awards with her collection ‘The World Through My Eyes’, inspired and influenced by textiles and travel, which the judges described as “eclectic and joyful, sleek, chic and professional, with intricate detailing and true depth.”

“It absolutely had the ‘wow factor’ but also real depth,” says guest judge, Australian fashion authority Associate Professor Karen Webster.
“There was incredible intricate detailing, including handmade buttons, stars cut out of Perspex mixed with bold inspirational prints. The collection was a discovery waiting to be made.”

Hosted by FOUR’s Shannon Ryan, the packed out 1300 strong audience were wowed by the collections of 30 finalists from around the globe vying for top prizes. This year’s winners delivered on the international nature of the awards – coming from all around the world – from New Zealand to China, the UK to South Korea and Australia to Ireland.

This year’s winners are:
Peroni 1st Place Prize (NZ$5000): Rakel Blom, School of Design, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Caffe L’affare 2nd Place ($3000 cash): Emma Boseley, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
Strawberry Sound 3rd Place ($1000 cash): Kathleen Choo, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall Prize ($1,000) for the most commercial collection: Blathnaid McClean, National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin, Ireland.
Global Fabrics Award for Excellence in Design ($1000 cash and a $2000 voucher): Sohong Lim, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. 

Many of the stand-out finalists impressed the prestigious judging panel made up of UK milliner Stephen Jones, leading Australian fashion authorities Associate Professor Karen Webster and Glynis Traill-Nash, and Dunedin’s own Tanya Carlson and Margi Robertson (NOM*d) with their “inspiring and brave” use of technology, particularly in textile applications, and their diverse range of collections. Recycling was also used in the Global Fabrics Award winner, Sohong Lim’s collection.

Says Stephen Jones: “Every single finalist was completely different and they all really believed in what they were doing. This was true emerging design talent at its best – there was an innocence about the collections that was refreshing and inspiring.”

Fashion designer, iD Committee Member, and moderator Tanya Carlson agrees.
“There was real joy in many of the collections – and a fresh new approach to technologies, like digital printing, that are now commonplace.”

Backstage, Dr Margo Barton, Academic Leader (Fashion) at The School of Design and a team of students from the Otago Polytechnic were in charge of managing the iD Awards, while Dunedin based salon Klone Hair, led by Danelle and Karl Radel, took charge of the runway hair creations. Fashion looks for the models – which this year included 10 international models from the University of Shanghai Engineering Science – were created by a Revlon sponsored makeup team, led by Aliana McDaniel.

For more information and a full calendar of events visit www.idfashion.co.nz