Otago Polytechnic fashion students are gearing up to make a bid for the 2015 iD International Emerging Designer Awards.
Applications for the awards opened on Thursday and about 16 students are excited at the prospect of applying with the collections they have worked on throughout the year.
The applications are open to recent graduates or final-year students who studied a fashion-related course, and applicants must provide photographs of a collection with three to five outfits by November 28.
About 30 finalists will be selected in December and will showcase their collections for judging during iD Fashion Week in Dunedin next April.
If selected, it will provide an international platform for designers to showcase their collections and gain catwalk experience, along with networking opportunities.
Otago Polytechnic fashion student Marc Jun (27) has created a menswear collection for his final year and will apply for the awards with some of his pieces.
He is no stranger to top-level design, having spent a summer assisting Byungmun Seo, a Korean finalist who graduated from the London College of Fashion.
Mr Jun was then asked back last summer to assist the designer in Milan and Paris in trade shows, and jumped at the opportunity.
He said his collection was about parents, with particular focus on his father.
Otago Polytechnic bachelor of design graduate Rakel Blom won the top award last year, showing that despite the iD International Emerging Designer Awards being an international event, the prize was well within the reach of local designers.
Mr Jun said iD Fashion Week was ''very important'' for local designers and students.
Otago Polytechnic head of fashion Dr Margo Barton said the awards were not just about the students learning the design process, but getting their work recognised.
''If you're looking to launch your fashion career and get noticed on a world stage, this is your chance.''
- Bridget Rutherford
