Think of it as a tongue-in-cheek take on sport-luxe: a tracksuit top that segues into a dramatic Renaissance-style gown. iD Dunedin Fashion’s hero image this year is by British designer Niamh Dobson, in her contradictory ode to an Eton mess. It’s a typically edgy creation from the annual fashion event, famous since 1999 for putting Dunedin on the global fashion map.
Outlandish though many of these pieces are, several creations showing on the catwalk at iD this year are immensely wearable, says iD’s creative director Dr Margo Barton, a professor at the Otago Polytechnic School of Fashion.
Many of the garments she’s seen so far are also wildly colourful. That might sound like an oxymoron for a city like Dunedin where black has traditionally reigned supreme, but perhaps it’s an upbeat reflection of the excitement around the return of the event, the first since 2019.
iD was forced to run online in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, and the live event was once again cancelled last year, after a date postponement made it too difficult to recruit enough staff (as it’s largely run by volunteers, says Margo, “and on the smell of an oily rag”).
Instead, a decision was made to focus their efforts on March-April 2023, when the event returns to the Gothic city’s iconic Railway Station, one of Dunedin’s most prominent architectural landmarks.
The iD team made a fashion film for two consecutive years during Covid, and this year, the International Emerging Designer Awards will continue to have an online presence. But watching the shows on screen is no substitute for the buzziness of seeing it live, says Margo.
“There’s nothing like meeting in person, for both the emerging designers and our fabulous established designers, and also the design students who get to meet them or observe what they’re doing. Because we are working with three-dimensional things, and you just can’t replicate that. Working with people and ideas and sustainability — all those conversations are just so important to the future of fashion.”
Dunedin fashion stalwarts Nom*D, Liz Mitchell, Carlson, Company of Strangers, Moochi, Kahuwai, Charmaine Reveley and Mild Red will all showcase winter 2023 collections that fans will be able to purchase online, straight off the runway. Meanwhile, the iD International Emerging Designer Award has once again drawn fashion graduates from around the world, including finalists from London, Manchester, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Taipei and Argentina, and of course students from all over New Zealand, each of whom will get the opportunity to create potentially lucrative connections.
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Advertise with NZME.It’s not unheard of for friendships to blossom between designers, with some students going on to work abroad, or band together. Former finalist Marielle van de Ven was a Dutch entrant who came to the competition from the Royal College of Art in London; she’s now based in New Zealand, where she works for ReCreate, the eco-conscious brand working to empower communities in Cambodia.
Since starting with iD in 1999, Margo says the event has always been about fostering emerging talent, which is why there’s no entrance fee for designers.
“It’s also important for the clothes-wearing people of the public to be inspired too and see what’s coming through. We’ve got the big fashion stars who are just so essential, and then we’ve got these emerging talents and businesses that aren’t part of the awards — to give them exposure is fantastic.”
In a first for the event, every designer this year is expected to use at least one model who would be considered diverse, whether that’s in size, age or gender.
“I think it’s important that people in the audience can see themselves on the catwalk,” says Margo.
The event has long focused on sustainability and this continues to be an important consideration for all designers, with several opting to use recycled fabrics, repurposed materials and dead stock. It’s this focus on sustainability that Margo believes is influencing the wearability of the designs.
“I ask this of my students too — why? Why would somebody want to pay for that? It’s got to be desirable. I’m not saying the clothes are lacking in joy [this year] but they’re not completely outrageous in some respects. You might not wear the whole look but there are elements in just about every collection that you could take out and wear with your jeans… I wish the emerging designers had [digital payment] click-throughs too! People will be excited to see these clothes.”
To buy tickets to iD Dunedin Fashion, March 28-April 2, 2023, visit Idfashion.co.nz
