Boys' designs reveal their true selves

POWER OF FOUR: Makoura College textile students Waylon Mason (left), Oakland Dean-Pene, Keanu Karaitiana and Shechaniah Hing, in their normal school attire. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

Four Makoura College friends have set aside their school rugby kit to design and create their own outfits.

Shechaniah Hing had been the first of the group of four Year 10 friends to take an interest in textile classes and was soon followed by his junior rugby teammates, Waylon Mason, Keanu Karaitiana and Oakland Dean-Pene.

The four friends had also been involved together in the school leaders' course, besides playing for the same college rugby team.

With the encouragement of textile technology head Andrina Goodwin, the boys set about designing and sewing pants and a T-shirt each, and entered the garments in the national Brother Design Stars competition.

The brief for the Brother Design Stars contest had been for the designers to create garments that would represent their identity.

Shechaniah, who has a family link to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, used the circle of stars on the national flag as a graphic on his T-shirts, and his mates, all Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa boys, had also designed clothing that revealed their identities.

The boys had modelled and worn their outfits before sending the garments in for judging in the competition.

They had won their way through to the finals, which offered winners more than $30,000 in prizes - but failed to place.

They remain keen to re-enter their designs in upcoming competitions.

The boys said Ms Goodwin and "the belief she had in us" had fuelled their drive to create the clothing, and each believed a career in fashion design was worth considering.