Australian fashion writer and commentator and guest judge at the iD Dunedin Fashion Week, Glynis Traill-Nash shares her thoughts about Dunedin's biggest week in fashion.
When I was first invited to Dunedin to be a guest judge for iD Dunedin Fashion Week's International Emerging Designers Awards, I was certainly thrilled to be asked, but I had no idea just how enjoyable and enriching the experience would be.
To be on a panel alongside two of New Zealand's best designers, Tanya Carlson and Margi Robertson, of Nom*D, would have been enough of an experience. To catch up with fellow judge Karen Webster, who I have known for years in the industry, was a bonus. To meet and work alongside Stephen Jones, the international guest judge and milliner to the stars, was out of the ball park. And as a judging unit, there was mutual respect, a great sense of democracy and a lot of laughs.
What an amazing opportunity for designers at the absolute outset of their careers to meet their peers and have time with industry professionals in a contained and nurturing environment. The judging day itself was unexpected in terms of the talent on offer. Often in these situations there is an obvious winner from the outset.
Not so this time.
Each of us had our shortlists, and, of course, there was crossover, but ultimately there was an extended discussion of the merits of each and what they brought to the competition, how the awards could help them, and what their future vision included. The five winners could not have been more different, from Sohong Lim's recycled gasmask bags turned military cool to Kathleen Choo's intricate origami; Blathnaid McClean's villainous chiaroscuro to Emma Boseley's distorted proportions.
The overall winner, Rakel Blom, turned out to be the perfect poster girl for the competition: the Icelandic designer studied at Dunedin's Otago Polytechnic (she told us it was as far as she could get from home) and is now based in London - global and local all in one.
Her collection, inspired by different continents, used pop culture references in digital print collages, using Perspex cut-outs as highlights and trimming with hand-tufted wool - innovative and traditional, with a smile-inducing joie de vivre. And she turned out to be the crowd favourite on the night.
I'd never been to Dunedin before, Auckland and Wellington, yes, for fashion events including New Zealand Fashion Week and World of Wearable Art. iD Fashion Week is like the final point of the fashion triangle: a local consumer event with global perspective.
And let's talk about that catwalk for the two main shows. It's touted as the longest catwalk in the southern hemisphere. Well, there was much discussion about this among the judges. Not one of us had ever seen a longer catwalk, anywhere in the world.
Sure, Karl Lagerfeld sent models out along the Great Wall of China for Fendi in 2007, and there are occasional attempts at Guinness World Records (Sydney tried that in a branded shoe event last year, but Hong Kong pipped them in December, clocking in at 3.2km), but these are fleeting events, not recreated every year. So, we all agreed that Dunedin could probably lay claim to the World's Longest Recurring Catwalk.
Mr Jones also suggested that perhaps a park bench situated halfway down its 120m length with tea and biscuits available might be a good idea in future for models in need of a breather.
And how extraordinary to have Stephen Jones in town for a week, engaging with local industry and punters alike, then showing a catwalk retrospective of 33 hats to represent his 33 years in business, during which he has dressed everyone from the People's Princess, Diana, to ''our'' Pop Princess, Kylie, via Ringo Starr, Dita Von Teese, Boy George and Lady Gaga. Everyone who met him was struck by his generosity of spirit and genuine bonhomie.
One of the best stories of the week took place behind the scenes.
Unbeknownst to those in the audience at Friday night's catwalk show, three of the hats sent out from the UK still hadn't arrived, being held up in customs in Auckland. After some harried phone calls that day, they made it onto a plane to Dunedin, which landed at 9pm - let's not forget that the first part of the show started at 8pm.
A car was dispatched to meet the plane on the tarmac and ferry the hats straight to the venue - they arrived just as the first model in Jones' finale hit the catwalk. As for Dunedin itself, as a first-timer the Scottish heritage was remarkable (especially as one with the same heritage), and I can assure you that as a lover of both single malt and pinot noir, I felt very well catered to.
I would love to have had more time to explore the city, although our generous hosts ensured that we were steered in the right direction for shopping (yes, I have taken home a couple of local fashion mementos) and we even made it up to Larnach Castle - what a fabulous anomaly.
I'd love to give a huge thanks to the iD committee for inviting me to Dunedin and for being the most generous and accommodating hosts.
I think I can speak on behalf of my fellow visiting judges that we each feel we have made great new friends and have taken a little piece of Dunedin home with us (and our wardrobes).
• Fashion writer and commentator Glynis Traill-Nash has become a front-row fixture at fashion shows and events, and has covered fashion weeks in New York, Paris, Milan, Berlin and Auckland.
Traill-Nash was most recently fashion editor at The Sunday Telegraph, has written for a variety of publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun Herald, Grazia and In Style, and has become a regular media spokesperson across radio and television, including appearances on Project Runway, Today, The Morning Show and A Current Affair.
