Celebrating 10 years of Resene colourful fashion

The designs chosen by the judges for the 2023 collection will open the Resene Designer Runway shows at New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria from 1 September, as the country’s biggest fashion occasion returns to Auckland after three years of pandemic-affected postponement. Photo / Alex Burton

New Zealand Fashion Week kicks off at the end of the month in a celebratory mood. It’s back after a three-year Covid interruption, a delayed 20th anniversary since the first Fashion Week in 2001, 30 years of Kate Sylvester’s label and the 10th birthday for Resene Colour of Fashion.

And it’s also the first Fashion Week under a new partnership of inclusivity with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei gifting the name Kahuria (adorn) to Aotearoa’s leading fashion showcase.

Resene Colour of Fashion celebrates its 10th year, with the 2023 collection opening 3 shows at New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria. Photo / Alex Burton

Yesterday 25 Whitecliffe Fashion Technology students got their first taste of the excitement, glitz and glamour of the industry with a photoshoot of their designs for the Resene Colour of Fashion runway show and a competition with $1000 up for grabs.

Karen Warman, Resene marketing manager, said they were thrilled to celebrate the 10-year milestone with Whitecliffe.

Image 1 of 18: Designs by Aeron Balgimino, Sarah Browning (centre) and Jordan Tay in 2021. Photo / Alex burton

“Together we’re bringing visibility to a generation of fashion’s young talent, helping them learn how to use colour as a tool to bring their designs to life,” said Warman. “I love seeing these creative students immerse themselves in the story of their Resene colour, creating colourful garments, and reminding us all of the joy, energy and meaning colour brings.”

Since 2014, Resene Colour of Fashion with Whitecliffe has given hundreds of fashion students in their final year of a three-year Diploma of Fashion Technology a taste of the exciting, rewarding and sometimes challenging world of fashion.

The Resene Colour of Fashion collection has three public runway shows during Fashion Week. Photo / Alex Burton

Debra Denny of Whitecliffe has helped guide all 10 Resene Colour of Fashion projects and is a judge this year. She said that the competition is life-changing for students as they get real-world learning, troubleshooting on the job and seeing their creations on real models.

Colours included are Resene Amped, Resene Skylight, Resene Temptation, Resene Boundless, and Resene Sunbeam. Photo / Alex Burton

“For the students whose designs feature on New Zealand’s biggest fashion stage, it’s a life-long memory for them and their families. It’s a moment they treasure, long after the lights fade and the Instagram photos have been posted,” Denny said.

In another gesture to mark the project’s 10th year, an archive of dresses from the project has been donated to a charity that gifts ball dresses to high schools.

The Resene Colour of Fashion collection has three public runway shows during Fashion Week. The winners will be announced at the Whitecliffe Graduate Showcase in Auckland in November.