EIT Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion) student Adena Waudby won the Gore RSA Young Designer Award at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards.
EIT Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion) student Adena Waudby won the Gore RSA Young Designer Award at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards.
Two EIT IDEAschool Fashion students have excelled at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, with one a runner-up in the menswear category and the other earning a special award.
Candice D’Acre (Ngāti Porou) was runner-up in the Van De Water Jewellers Open Menswear Award and fellow classmate Adena Waudby won the Gore RSA Young Designer Award.
The design awards, now in its 36th year, were held in Gore last month. It provides a competitive platform for all amateur fashion designers to showcase their designs in front of industry leaders.
D’Acre and Waudy, both in their second year of the Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion), say the results were surprising.
Waudy’s three-piece menswear collection was inspired by PlayStation 5, with blue, black and white colours, and lines to echo the symmetry of the console.
Having missed watching the live stream, she got home to find out she had won, and said it was “so surprising”.
“It was very much a surreal moment, marking a milestone in my career and motivating me to keep creating, and contributing to the world of fashion. Now having my trophy has made it feel all real.”
EIT Bachelor of Creative Practice (Fashion) Adena Waudby won the Gore RSA Young Designer Award at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards. Pictured with her garment and the prizes she won.
D’Acre says: “It’s pretty validating. It’s like ‘Oh, I actually am kind of good at this and it has given me the push to keep on going”.
The 32-year-old mum of two’s theme for her three-piece menswear collection was Pierrot the clown.
“I originally started off with the Venice Carnival, but it was so broad that I narrowed it down to what really stuck out to me. And Pierrot is quite prominent in pop culture, to the extent that we don’t even realise nowadays. So, I was able to have fun with it.”
Candice D’Acre (Ngāti Porou) with her three-piece menswear look, modelled by Jacob Player, which came runner up in the Van De Water Jewellers Open Menswear Award at the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards. Copywrite Still Vision Photography
D’Acre has had a long association with EIT, graduating with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Marketing and Management in 2021. She was also the recipient of the $15,000 Sir James Wattie Scholarship in 2020.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life so I thought business would be a good base for whatever I decided to do.”
A keen crafter, she found the sewing machine she got when her daughter was born 10 years ago and discovered her passion for fashion.
“I hadn’t used it once, but I decided to make scrunchies. They sucked, but I kept wanting to do it and get better. Then I saw that they had a course at EIT.”
Sewing wasn’t something she grew up with, but she has since come to love fashion, particularly during her time at EIT.
They both speak highly of their lecturers.
“They allow us the freedom while also understanding our skill sets and nudging us in the right direction.
“Honestly, as cliché as it is, EIT has definitely changed who I am in a positive way. When I first started, I had been a stay-at-home mum for almost three years, and I was just not confident.
“I didn’t put myself out there or anything like that. This degree has also helped me hone my creative side a lot, and how to channel it in a way that would be expected through real work.”
IDEAschool fashion lecturer Christina Rhodes said the school was blown away by the students’ success.
Over the years, they have won several awards. However, Rhodes says it is the first time they have had a student win young designer.
Seven EIT students entered the competition across several categories.
“All entries from our students were just fabulous.”
Both D’Acre and Waudy are now busy working on this year’s outfits, due to be showcased at the annual IDEAschool end-of-year show.
