London internship offer raises prestige of show

Emilia Wickstead.
Emilia Wickstead.
The iD International Emerging Designer Award show has been given an important lift in its prestige with the announcement of a new internship with the go-to designer for Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Award judge New Zealand-born Emilia Wickstead said yesterday nothing had been finalised, but she was thinking of making the London internship an annual prize at the award show.

iD Dunedin chairwoman Cherry Lucas described that news as "fabulous''.

To get an internship with Emilia Wickstead "makes our event even more enticing to enter because that is such an awesome prize''.

Ms Wickstead announced the internship last night, with the first designer to be third-placed Stephanie Frig, of the University of Technology in Sydney.

Stephanie Frig.
Stephanie Frig.
She said she had provided the internship in special recognition of Ms Frig's collection, which displayed "exceptional fabric technology and craftsmanship''.

Ms Wickstead told the Otago Daily Times she did not come to Dunedin planning to offer an internship, but was "inspired and taken by the designers, and just their attitude to what they're doing, and ambition''.

The details were yet to be worked out, but the young designer would "be taken care of by our team and set up in London''.

Ms Lucas said offering the internship was "unbelievably generous'' of Ms Wickstead.

"These young graduates, that's what they need. They need the work experience, they need the exposure, they need the network connections.

"That's great for us as an event to have as a prize.''

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