Josie Steenhart talks to this year’s winner - Molly Marsh.
Dunedin-based Marsh, 20, won this year’s Hokonui Fashion Design Awards (HFDAs), or Hokonuis, as they’re colloquially known, with a collection of three tennis-inspired garments that had this year’s judges calling game, set and match.
"[Winning was] totally unexpected and so super rewarding."
Judge Liam Bowden, of celebrated Kiwi leatherware label Deadly Ponies, says Marsh’s entry stood out in "so many" ways.
"It was very well executed; the seaming and pleating in the dresses was very intricate. Her designs told a story and had a strong sense of identity. Molly’s entry felt fresh and put a smile on our faces."
"[Ettrick] is the heart of Marsh’s Honey, a third-generation family business my parents now operate," she says.
"I was the only girl in my year group for the majority of my time at Millers Flat Primary School, which had a total roll of 30-ish pupils."
In 2016, she moved to Dunedin for boarding school, where she attended St Hilda’s Collegiate School. There she was lucky enough to be appointed head girl, which she describes as "a memorable and valuable" experience.
Staying on in the city after high school, Marsh says having lived in Dunedin for almost eight years, she has found it really special to reconnect, solidify and broaden her friendship circle.
"It helps that Dunedin is such a student-orientated city, as people come from all over New Zealand to study here."
The ambitious young designer works at Wānaka’s DEVáL Boutique "as one of the stylists there" during her semester breaks and also spent time interning at sought-after Auckland-based label Maggie Marilyn.
"I approached their team last year expressing that I wanted to gain work experience from a brand I absolutely adore and believe in.
"Helping with the day-to-day runnings of their workroom, being surrounded by like-minded, knowledgeable, passionate and down-to-earth people and feeling as though I was a part of their team was an experience I will never forget."
Of this year’s HFDA-winning designs, Marsh says dressing up in her mother’s old tennis whites and pretending to be Serena Williams was a nostalgic memory that was the starting point for this collection’s inspiration.
The "tennis whites" — two tops, a maxi pencil skirt, wide-leg trousers, a mini tunic dress and sporty visor — were cut and tailored from cotton drill into covetable designs, but it was perhaps the finishing touches, not to mention the statement coat, that elevated Marsh’s entry to the top award.
"The turf coat was quite literally made out of turf — a fabric the sewing machine was not familiar with," she says with a laugh.
"It was the only place I could find to purchase one."
Judge Vicki Taylor, of Taylor and The Shelter, says of Marsh’s entry, which took six months to complete, that the more she looked at her collection the more she saw the details in each piece.
"Her construction was really outstanding. All those little tucks were incredibly even
and the inserted tennis ball was well executed. The finishing point was her attention to the details — the shoes, hats and accessories all fitted seamlessly into the overall effectiveness of her design. Molly’s balance and design aesthetic were on point and the colours were consistent throughout, each piece could stand alone or work together."
Marsh’s prize package, valued at more than $16,500, includes the chance to show her work at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland.
Beyond that, Marsh, whose "ultimate dream" is to have her own label, says her immediate plans are to return to Auckland later in the year for an internship with another New Zealand designer, "which I’m really looking forward to".
"In the mix of that, I’ll be finishing my graduate collection, which will be showcased at the Otago Polytech Graduate Collections Show in November. And that will be a nice wee challenge."
She describes the entry process for the HFDAs as easygoing with their fashion lecturers helping with the transport of entries to Gore.
"The thrill of seeing your garments on a catwalk is a special experience for any designer."
"Knowing when to enhance a design but also knowing when to let it speak for itself is a hard thing to balance and understand, but is something to consider when entering."
The longest-running fashion design awards of their type in New Zealand, the Hokonuis, since 1988, have attracted both high-calibre entries and top industry judges (think James Dobson of Jimmy D, Karen Walker, Juliette Hogan, WORLD’s Francis Hooper, Trelise Cooper, Kate Sylvester, Liz Findlay of Zambesi, Doris Du Pont and NOM*d’s Margi Robertson) over the years.
Of the event itself, Auckland-based Bowden describes it as "such an amazing experience".
"The whole community rallies together to create something world-class. It’s heartwarming to see so many people volunteer their time for something like this, and there’s a lot of great talent coming through.
"It was fun to get to know the other judges — I enjoyed the different design perspectives — and the gluttonous amount of cheese rolls we had."
