The 15th annual Collections show this Friday night unveils the collections of third-year fashion students at the Otago Polytechnic's School of Design, including some that travelled to the recent Shanghai Fashion Week. Jude Hathaway reports.
Of the 16 collections at Friday's Otago Polytechnic Collection 2013 show, eight have already made their debut, not in front of Dunedin crowds but rather in the super-charged atmosphere of last month's Shanghai Fashion Week.
Third-year students Tobi Scott, Georgia Ferguson, Alice McKay, Alisha Simpson, Sonya Heney, Jessica Gleeson, Hannah Heslop and Lauren Arthur were selected for the trip along with communications student Anna Van Gorp, who specialises in fashion photography.
The group of future fashion ground-breakers were accompanied by Dr Margo Barton, academic leader of fashion, lecturers Pip McQuillan and Tania Allan-Ross.
The project between sister cities Shanghai and Dunedin was launched last year by the Sino-French Institute of Fashion Design Paris (IFAP) at Shanghai University of Engineering Science (SUES) and Otago Polytechnic in acknowledgement that such collaborations and educational experiences are essential to the development of global design practitioners.
The project also provided another highlight: photographic shoots of the collections at Shanghai locations using models from the SUES who are studying for a BA majoring in modelling.
Behind the camera was Dunedin photographer Emily Hlavac Green. A lecturer in photography at the polytechnic, Emily also accompanied the first contingent last year.
''Our students' collections - diverse and innovative - the Shanghai models and the various locations formed an incredible foundation for making interesting photographs.
"That said, eight fashion shoots, all at a different location to suit each designer's aesthetic was an ambitious undertaking. There was no chance for a recce to these locations and no preconceived idea of what a place might be like.''
This week it is the turn for eight Shanghai fashion design students from IFAP to visit Otago, where their collections are being photographed in the lead-up to Friday night's Collections show, in which their designs will show on the catwalk.
They are accompanied by Madame Zhou, IFAP's vice dean and three staff.
• For the Otago Polytechnic students, the Shanghai trip left a multitude of lasting impressions. Here are some of their comments:
Shanghai was an incredible first-time overseas destination for me. I was totally blown away by the sheer scale of the city and the diversity of culture. I learnt to never shy away from a challenge ... how else can you decide whether or not you like fried chicken feet? - Sonya Heney
With such a tight schedule we went to more places than I thought possible, doing photo-shoots in the city centre, in city ruins, and in a town that was 2000 years old. I can't wait to go back there on my own! - Hannah Louise Heslop
Shanghai was an incredible cultural experience. It allowed me to see how the fashion world works in another country! It was fascinating. - Georgia Ferguson
I found the language barrier quite hard, but also found that kindness can overcome those barriers. I became quite ill in Shanghai and the kindness of everyone was absolutely heart-warming. And seeing my garments walk down the runway was such a euphoric moment. - Jessica Gleeson
Shanghai Fashion Week was so great to be a part of: fast-paced, energetic and crazy. One thing I learned from this experience was that embracing another culture without hesitancy enables you to grow as a person and shows what the world has to offer outside New Zealand. - Tobi Scott
I'm so grateful to have worked alongside Emily and the designers to photogragh ''behind the scenes'' images of incredibly talented models in such an awesome city. The photo-shoot locations exceeded my expectations with large crowds forming around us and flashing cameras everywhere. - Anna van Gorp (communications design student)
We got to experience so much of Shanghai in such a short trip, from strange new foods to the busy markets and streets and seeing the fast changing-city from the old traditional areas to the amazing art districts of M50 and Red Town. - Lauren Arthur
The Collections
The Collections 2013 event is to be held in the former Unipol Recreation Centre, 96 Anzac Ave. Doors open 7pm for people to tour the School of Design's ''Debrief'' prior to the fashion show. Tickets are available to buy online at Dash Tickets, www.dashtickets.co.nz/event/v6db48wrz.
