Old and dated given new lease of life at Oversew

GODDESS IN DENIM: Dunedin's Melanie Child won the Supreme Award for her gown made of strips from old jeans, modelled here by Paris Potangaroa. PHOTO: Masanori Ugadawa

Playful pantsuits fashioned from wedding gowns, office wear reconstructed from dated bank uniforms, Mad Men-style dresses from floral shirts, and red carpet wear made entirely from denim were just some of the slick designs modelled in Carterton over the weekend.

Carterton Event Centre played host to the fourth annual Oversew Fashion Awards, with a close to 600-strong crowd turning up over two days to view the repurposed runway creations of up-and-coming designers from Wairarapa and beyond.

This year, 42 designers entered the competition with the brief to create a smart, contemporary outfit, 80 per cent of which is constructed from pre-loved, dated or second-hand clothing.

Sixteen of the entrants were students from St Matthew's Collegiate, Wairarapa College and Iona College in Hawke's Bay, all competing for the Young Designer Award, sponsored by Wairarapa Building Society (WBS).

Half of the contestants were from outside of Wairarapa, hailing from Auckland, Tauranga, Manawatu, Upper Hutt, Wellington, Dunedin and Central Otago.

In an opening address, Mike Jones, managing director of Wairarapa Environmental (part of Earthcare Environment, chief sponsor for the event), said the standard of this year's entries was "extremely high".

"Each one of these outfits are scalable, and saleable," he said.

"Here in Wairarapa, Earthcare recycles 5000 tonnes of waste material each year, so it's great to see talented people playing a role in minimising in minimising waste and landfill."

The first category on display was "Chill Out" Cool Casual Wear, with old sweatshirts, jeans, men's shirts and even childhood dress up clothes transformed into stylish pantsuits, skirts and shift dresses.

A clear favourite were two outfits titled "Sartorial Paradox One and Two" by Upper Hutt designer Abbey Jennings, consisting of shorts, an oriental top, and tie dress made from her cousin's 26-year-old wedding gown.

The title, MC and Oversew creator Robyn Cherry-Campbell noted, was referring to a wedding dress being the most important garment in a women's life but which has the shortest lifespan.

Next up on display was the "Wild and Woolly" section, with designers entering outfits made up of at least 60 per cent wool.

These included "a sassy dress" made from a man's wool jacket, a hot pants and bustier set from a bulky Arran jumper, and woman's suit from Swandri jackets, in memory of designer Jenny Booth's late brother.

This was followed by the "Fireworx" category for office wear which was dominated by the Young Designer finalists, many of whom had sourced the original garments from op shops.

Standouts included suits and dresses repurposed from drab and dated bank tellers' uniforms, donated to the students from WBS.

The final category was "Hot Night In The City", featuring evening wear such as ball gowns, corset tops, fur vests and sumptuous coats.

The audience was most enthralled by the final two: a dress made entirely from strips of denim by Dunedin's Melanie Child, and an evening gown which started life as three casual dresses and sequins from ice skating costumes, by Wellington designer Jo Marie Odgers.

"The judges thought it was very Jennifer Lopez," Mrs Cherry-Campbell said.

The Sunday matinee event was concluded with the launch of Project Glow Wear, a fashion design competition featuring garments or accessories which illuminate people on the road or on bikes.

The Overall Award of Excellence went to Ms Child, who also won in the Hot Night in the City Category for her denim gown.

Last year's winner, Paul Edgar Bird from Masterton, won in the woollen section, with Abbey Jennings and Jodi Walker taking out the casual and office wear categories.

St Matthew's student Ella Hume clinched the Young Designer Award, and was one of three designers awarded an internship with Massey University fashion collective The Space Between.