Graduate fashion students showcase their work on national stage

suppliedOtago Polytechnic fashion graduate Anna Duncan's "Fairytale Ending". Photo: Supplied Anna Duncan, 22, “The Fairytale Ending” suppliedAnna Duncan. Has gone on to study a Diploma in Interior Design in Christchurch this year. I had always wanted to study fashion from a young age, but it wasn’t until I discovered textiles in high school that I truly knew this was the path I was meant to follow. I’m a fashion designer drawn to the balance between softness and structure. My work explores how fabric can be shaped, layered and manipulated to tell a story, often transforming delicate materials into sculptural forms. I’m inspired by emotion, movement and the craftsmanship that goes into each garment. Through experimentation with texture, drape and construction, I aim to create pieces that feel both imaginative and refined, where concept meets form with purpose. [Missing Credit]Otago fashion design graduate Socrates Catapang "An Ode to Self" Photo: Supplied Socrates Catapang “An Ode to Self Cor Cordium” Is a Filipino-born New Zealand designer and honours student at Otago Polytechnic. [Missing Credit]Otago fashion design graduate Socrates Catapang. Photo: Supplied My work brings together contemporary tailoring, craftsmanship and personal storytelling, shaped by my experiences of living between cultures. Through considered construction and sustainable practice, I create garments that explore the connection between clothing, heritage and personal expression. My collection traces the process of breaking down and rebuilding one’s sense of belonging. Inspired by my experiences of migration and cultural transition, the collection explores vulnerability, resilience and the evolving relationship between the body and what we wear. Through anti-gender tailoring, deconstructed silhouettes and shifting forms, each garment reflects a movement from inherited structures towards a more fluid and liberated expression. The collection positions clothing as both protection and revelation, allowing the wearer to embrace complexity, challenge boundaries and celebrate the ongoing journey of becoming. [Missing Credit]Otago fashion design graduate Willow Coombs' "What the Walls Hold". Photo: Supplied Willow Coombs, 23, “What The Walls Hold” Is still creating while working in retail with the aim of moving overseas [Missing Credit]Willow Coombs. My collection explores the idea of emotional architecture — the invisible structures we build to protect, conceal, and carry our emotions. Inspired by architecture, craftsmanship and the relationship between strength and vulnerability, I translate these concepts into garments through sculptural silhouettes, refined tailoring and thoughtful fabric manipulation. My work is driven by a commitment to timeless design, creating pieces that are intended to be worn, valued and kept rather than consumed by trends. I believe fashion has the ability to tell deeply personal stories while encouraging reflection and connection. Through a restrained colour palette and meticulous construction, this collection captures the tension between protection and exposure, structure and softness. It represents my ongoing interest in creating meaningful clothing that combines conceptual depth with artisanal craftsmanship, inviting the wearer to experience fashion not only as something they wear, but as something they feel and connect with. suppliedOtago Polytechnic fashion graduate Nick Medelnik "Winter". Photo: Supplied Nick Medelnik, 23, “Winter” [Missing Credit]Fashion design graduate Nick Medelnik. Is originally from Germany who relocated to Ōtepoti, Dunedin, over three years ago and received the Overall Design Excellence Award for his graduate collection. My collection explores the relationship between humanity and the natural world through craftsmanship, material honesty and enduring design. Working primarily with leather, I embrace its individuality, durability and ability to tell an honest story, from the life of the animal it came from to the wear and patina it acquires throughout the lifetime of its owner. Drawing on ideas of new materialism, I treat materials as active collaborators in the design process, allowing their unique qualities to shape each garment. By combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary techniques, I aim to create pieces that challenge conventional ideas of luxury and sustainability, celebrating longevity, emotional connection and the evolving stories carried by the objects we choose to keep. suppliedOtago fashion design graduate Lucas Jones' "Existence". Photo: Supplied Lucas Jones “Ozymandias Existence” Born in London and raised in Otepoti. He joined the certificate in 2022 essentially because no one made trousers large enough. Is now living in Tāmaki Makaurau. suppliedLucas Jones, Otago Polytechnic fashion graduate showing at New Zealand Fashion week (NZFW) My work explores themes of existentialism and transformation through a juxtaposed design language of manipulated denim blended with traditional tailoring. Rooted in emotional storytelling, his collections investigate identity, departure and the quiet existence process of becoming. Drawing influence from anti-fashion, deconstruction and distressed materials, I balance raw textures and oversized silhouettes, creating garments that feel both familiar and unresolved. My graduate collection reflects on the fleeting nature of power and the enduring legacy of creativity, using Percy Shelley’s poem as a lens to explore the resilience of artistic expression. Under label, “Existence”, fashion becomes a medium for questioning what we leave behind and what we choose to carry forward. Rather than offering definitive answers, I invite the wearer into a space of introspection, where vulnerability and individuality coexist through garments intended to be lived in as much as they are observed. supplied"Manawa" by Kennedy Lahood, Otago Polytechnic fashion graduate collection Kennedy Lahood, 32, “Allora Manāwa” Spent a semester studying at IED in Milan, Italy and is working as a stylist at The Shelter by Taylor while continuing to build her brand, Manāwa. suppliedDesign graduate Kennedy Lahood. As a designer, my intention is always to uplift through my mahi. It is a deeply personal creative practice — rooted in whakapapa and wairua, and always shaped by my lived experiences. My graduate collection was born during a vibrant spring summer season in Italy, where I drew inspiration from living amongst the expressive and spirited Italian people and their way of life. I explored romantic, feminine silhouettes, elevated through luxurious fabrics and bold colour combinations to capture the vibrant essence of Italy as I experienced it. Crystals are intentionally placed on each garment as a Manāwa signature, creating a connection between the wearer and their own spiritual energy. This reflects my Māori worldview and the belief that both the earth and what we wear can carry mana. The collection celebrates joy, creativity, and soulful connection — luxurious yet grounded, playful yet meaningful — weaving together cultural storytelling with a utopian vision of the future. suppliedOtago fashion design graduate Felix Huber's "Gorgeous or Tonight I left home in a Thunder Storm, My Skin is Wet and My Blood is Warm". Photo: Supplied Felix Huber “Gorgeous or Tonight I left home in a Thunder Storm, My Skin is Wet and Blood is Warm” Is a designer and musician based in Ōtepoti, Dunedin. suppliedFelix Huber. Subversion, refinement, longevity and the pure expression of oneself are some of the ideas that guide my design work. Through a mix of subversive but timeless looks and bold statement pieces with dramatic silhouettes, my designs will make whoever is wearing them the centre of attention. My graduate collection was developed around the emotions and memories clothing can hold. Predominantly based on my own lived experience growing up in Ōtepoti, these clothes represent my relationships, my emotions and my love for this place I call home. I also released a companion album of original music, sharing the same name of the collection. It makes up a part of a wider multimedia experience that brings a fuller view of my ideas. suppliedOtago Polytechnic fashion graduate Silva McDowells' "Bite me fascist, Adina" Silva McDowell “Bite Me Fascist ANIINA” Is an independent designer based in Ōtepoti. suppliedSilva McDowell Otago Polytechnic fashion graduate Bite me fascist, Adina I have a strong belief in creating beautifully made, long-lasting, natural fibre garments that carry meaning and evoke emotional responses from the people wearing and experiencing them. This specific collection is a culmination of my skills in fashion design as a way to create a body of work that carries a strong political and emotional message. Functioning both as a personal act of activism, resistance and a wider call to action. The project was created drawing on experiences from my semester living and studying in Tallinn, Estonia, where I developed a deeper awareness of how politics, history and culture intersect. During that time, I built invaluable relationships with politically active peers. Learning and discussing a lot in those spaces pushed me to ultimately try becoming more involved in my own community. This collection is a part of that journey.