Age is just a number and an octogenarian Alexandra designer proved when she scooped the prize pool at New Zealand’s only fashion event dedicated to wool.

At WoolOn on Saturday Daphne Randle, 88, took out five awards including the $5000 supreme award prize package for her Highland Warrior creation.

Mrs Randle was no stranger to the awards as she won five of the six sections she entered in the last WoolOn event in 2024.

At the time she said she developed her technique of seamless knitting in short rows and constantly turning them to prevent the back pain she suffered when knitting traditional long rows.

WoolOn judge for the third time Auckland-based designer Liz Mitchell MNZM said Mrs Randle’s work was a highlight of the event.

"It’s incredible. It’s just breathtakingly amazing just what she's able to do in her age. And just, I mean, such an inspiration for anyone, you know, just to have someone of that age doing that work.”

Seeing the entries in the young designers sections was encouraging, Ms Mitchell said.

"I think what we need is to get more younger people, some of the colleges, get more of them involved so that we can get an opportunity for younger ones to do something which they don't normally have the opportunity to do.”

Encouraging participation in arts and creating would encourage more interest in core school subjects, she said.

Traditional maths and English did not always engage young people but seeing garments like Mrs Randle’s showed problem-solving skills, such as maths and English, were needed to create three dimensional garments.

Working with fibre could also be helpful for young people struggling with their mental health through handling natural fibre and focussing on the process, Ms Mitchell said.

WoolOn event producer Jane Avery said this year’s event demonstrated the “enduring appetite” for the celebration of not only wool, but the “creativity and the people behind the garments”.

“WoolOn is about so much more than a fashion show,” Ms Avery said.

“It is a celebration of wool, creativity, craftsmanship and community.

“Seeing designers from across New Zealand bring their ideas to the runway and watching the audience respond to them is incredibly rewarding.

“The quality and diversity of this year’s entries has been outstanding, and we are incredibly proud of every person who entered.”

“Wool has an extraordinary story to tell, and WoolOn gives people the opportunity to see it in a completely different way — from the paddock to the runway.”

 

The category winners are:

  • Streetwear: Sandy Austin-Fraser — Imposter

  • Avant-Garde: Rodney Leong — Just Add Water

  • Special Occasion: Daphne Randle — Prime Thyme

  • Collections: Sandy Taing — A Radical Jesters Guide to Fashion

  • Machine-Crafted: Laurel Judd — Tropicana

  • Toi Tu ki Uruuruwhenua: Daphne Randle — Highland Warrior

  • Hand-Crafted: Daphne Randle — Candy Floss

  • Accessories: Joy McDonald — The Cutest Sheep in the World

  • Reuse, Restyle & Repurpose: Laurel Judd — Faceoff — Waste Not

Major award winners:

  • 1st Runner Up: Viv Tamblyn — Ride the Waves One Day at a Time

  • 2nd Runner Up: Daphne Randle — Land Sea Sky

  • People’s Choice: Viv Tamblyn — Ride the Waves One Day at a Time

  • Commercial Viability Award: Ryan Shepherd

  • Menswear Award: Ryan Shepherd

  • Novice Award: Kim Priest

  • U25 University Emerging Designer Award: Marlena Koeninger

  • U18 Secondary School Young Designer Award: Bella Donaldson

  • U13 Primary School Designer Award: Leanne Kamota