Former Ōtūmoetai College student Blair Walker a finalist in the 2024 Resene Colour of Fashion collection

Former Otumoetai College student Blair Walker (right) has earned a place in the 2024 Resene Colour of Fashion collection with his design modelled by 62Models model Matea Atia (left). Photo / Natasha Boshkovski

A former Ōtūmoetai College student has been given a “boost of confidence” in becoming a fashion designer after being named a finalist in the 2024 Resene Colour of Fashion collection.

Blair Walker, 21, from Tauranga switched from studying computer science and physics to fashion after he started teaching himself to sew clothes. He is studying a two-year diploma in fashion technology at Whitecliffe College in Wellington.

He was one of a record number of students who took part in this year’s Resene Colour of Fashion with Whitecliffe project, a joint press release from Whitecliffe and Resene said.

The first selection round involved 54 Whitecliffe College students from its three campuses in Auckland City, Wellington, and Manukau.

In the final selection round on August 2, judges chose 14 designs for the 2024 collection, all crafted from silk twill dyed in Resene fashion colours.

In November, students will show their designs at the Whitecliffe College Graduate Showcase in Auckland and Wellington where the winner of this year’s Resene Colour of Fashion project will be announced, receiving a cash prize of $1000 from Resene.

The theme for this year’s collection was “imagine the possibilities”.

Former Otumoetai College student Blair Walker (right) has earned a place in the 2024 Resene Colour of Fashion collection with his design (modelled by Matea Atia of 62Models). Photo / Natasha Boshkovski

Walker told the Bay of Plenty Times he studied computer science and physics at Victoria University of Wellington for one year after finishing school.

“And then I took a year off ... I just started sewing and then I went to Whitecliffe the year after.”

Walker said he had always been “really picky” with his clothing.

“In the back of my mind, I’m like, I wish I could just make it but I never really saw it as an option.”

He bought a sewing machine - even though he had never used one before - and started teaching himself to make clothes such as suits, pants, and jeans.

“I just really enjoyed it and then I decided it might be for me.”

Walker said the inspiration for his design was the imagination. This evolved into splitting the imagination into two parts - the heart and the mind.

“The heart is like a damsel and dives into the void to fetch an idea, and the mind is like a knight that must save her, must bring her back into the light and, in this process, the idea is given form.

“I delved into the mind – the razor, the scrupulous militant perfectionist– and found naval uniforms, tailoring that requires strict conventions ruled by quantities and an iron rod,” he said in the press release.

“I looked to my heart – the spirit, the meta of all conventional, quantifiable reason and found a flower, a spinning vortex and a childhood friend.”

Blair Walker's design pictured on 62Models model Matea Atia. Photo / Natasha Boshkovski

Walker explained when he was young, the first toy he had was a little cat which he carried everywhere. This was reflected in his design with a cat on the left shoulder on the jacket.

He said the cat and flower represented “joyful play in something”.

Walker estimated it took between six and eight weeks to make the design but admitted “the whole thing was pretty much a blur”.

He said being a finalist had given him “a boost of confidence” towards becoming a fashion designer.

Walker said he would love to have his own business one day.

After graduating at the end of the year, he would like to work overseas and “gain some industry experience”.

“I’m conflicted because I like everything,” he said, as he liked making men’swear and women’s clothing, including dresses.

“To have a small area that you’re really good at is also probably important.

“I guess that’s my next thing is just to go forth and find my niche.

“It’s just baby steps right now ... it’s only the beginning.”

In the media release, Whitecliffe College Australia and New Zealand chief executive Fay Amaral said this opportunity was vital for the students to showcase their “incredible talent” as they launched their careers in sustainable fashion design.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.