Reinvention part of new WoolOn Creative Fashion event

Becs Calder. Photo: supplied

Designer Becs Calder, of Lauder Station, has completed her latest transformation of fibre from sheep's back to catwalk, but has added another dimension to her entry for this year's WoolOn Creative Fashion event.

Rather than using new fabric this time, she has ''taken the scissors'' to previous entries, deconstructing them into bare pieces of fabric and then ''reinventing'' them as new designs.

Lauder Station designer Becs Calder's 2014 entry in the WoolOn Creative Fashion Event. The garment won that year's special occasion category. Photo: supplied

The long-time WoolOn entrant - this will be Calder's seventh WoolOn, and she has won several categories of previous events - is this year entering the event's collections category, for which she had to create a collection of three pieces.

Calder said she loved the satisfaction of turning ideas into garments and entering WoolOn.

''It's something different - it's a challenge to be a bit more creative.''

A sewer-designer by profession, Calder said as well as being creative she enjoyed the practical side of her passion, and had a ''start to finish'' style in both her business Curvature and when entering WoolOn. She designs and makes all her creations.

Calder said she was proud to use her industry's product for her WoolOn fashion pieces, and loved the ''thrill'' of seeing the finished garment on the catwalk.

''I love it, it's the whole package, seeing the models with their hair and makeup done. You get a really cool feeling when you see them walk down the catwalk.''

WoolOn communications co-ordinator Jill Herron said Calder epitomised the ''whole WoolOn creative vibe'' of turning sheep's wool into catwalk fashion.

Fifty-five designers had entered this year's WoolOn, which would feature ''woollen earrings, shoes, a bumblebee, playing cards and a 3D evening gown'' as some of the ''incredible'' entries, designer liaison Kaye Sutherland said.

This year's event had new categories for novice designers and wool accessories, and entries had come from all over New Zealand, she said.

WoolOn has two shows, on August 17 and 18, and an ''Up Close'' event at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery on August 19, attended by judges and designers.