Sumner Elliott-Moore will learn first hand how silk saris are spun on traditional weaves on a life changing trip to India later this year.
She will join 19 other students from New Zealand who have earned scholarships to expand their learning about fabric technology and off-shore manufacturing at the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology (BIT) in Sathyamangalam, India.
The award, the Prime Minister's Scholarships for Asia, gives the students a five week opportunity to travel to the region for international study.
Ms Elliott-Moore, a NZ Fashion Tech student is particularly excited about seeing how silk saris are traditionally spun and giving the ancient tradition a go herself, after working with a sari for a project this year.
Fifty silk saris were created by families of weavers working with ancient looms in their homes in a southern Indian sari village called, Doddampalayam, just outside of Sathyamangala last year. The saris were then sent to New Zealand for fashion students to create garments from.