A splash of colour at Fieldays

Keri Eriepa models 'Tame hei hei te katoa' in the rain at Fieldays. Photo / Sarah Ivey

While most people were trudging through the rain in their gumboots and wet-weather gear at yesterday's Fieldays, model Keri Eriepa was out and about dressed in pink-dyed flax, possum fur, and ostrich, rooster and pheasant feathers.

The 19-year-old's outfit was designed by a group of Hamilton Te Wananga o Aotearoa students, who have entered it in the designer-fibre section of this year's Fieldays Ag Art Wear Awards.

"They call it Tame hei hei te katoa, which in English means, 'all cocked up'," says the group's tutor, Betty Brown.

"It's an original idea and they had a lot of fun making it."

Now in its 16th year, the Ag Art Wear competition shows off designers' skills in making wearable art from things found around the farm.

And although the event has attracted a smaller field than last year, show co-organiser Jenny Hansen says the quality of garments is higher.

"There's a lot of inventive and creative use of the materials, and I keep coming back because the creativity is a big adrenaline rush for me," she says.

"It gives a different slant to Fieldays. I think the crowds love it and there's always a buzz around."

Among garments on the catwalk have been a dress made of black silage cover, chicken wire, PVC pipes and liners and bailing twine, and a costume made completely of tractor parts.

Ms Hansen says the competition has attracted interest from overseas, and five Australian designers - including a 14-year-old girl - are entrants this year.

The winners in the show's five categories will be announced tomorrow.