Masterton agriculture and science teacher Allison MacKay scooped the supreme award with her Mr Fungi ensemble, which also won the hand-crafted section, while the accompanying piece Ms Fungal won the avant garde section.
Created in crochet scrumbles — small pieces which were sewn together to make a fabric — the pants, tank, jacket and hat were embellished with 3-D fungi.
"I was very surprised. I had no idea they would get a prize, Mrs MacKay said.""
The inspiration for the winning garments came from a pink oyster mushroom kit given to her husband last Father's Day.
However, her daughter said she could imagine someone actually wearing the garments in that city so decided it was not arty enough.
WoolOn had been on her radar and after checking the website decided that was where her creations should go.
The play on words in the names led her to think a Fungal needed a Fungi for company.
Mrs MacKay did not start out with a vision but made the scrumbles and put them on dress forms as they came together.
She also liked to infuse some science into everything she did.
"What I teach at school is that if we didn"t have the fungi and bacteria that decompose everything we wouldn"t be able to survive.""
WoolOn ran in two shows on the Saturday — a matinee and evening gala performance.
This year"s judges Liz Mitchell, Margi Robinson of NomD and Christina Perriam were impressed with the intricate, handcrafted elements of the garments entered.
Some of the garments from the show were on display at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery along with wool workshops, including felting and spinning, alongside traders offering yarn and tools, as well as completed wool garments.
