By Emily Norman
Fashion and design have proved to be strong points for St Matthew’s Collegiate School students, who dominated the recent Hokonui Fashion Design Awards in Gore.
Of the 80 garments which were finalists in the four school entries categories, 24 were designed by St Matthew’s girls, and seven by Wairarapa College students.
Schools from all over New Zealand entered the prestigious July awards, which were judged by New Zealand super designers Annah Stretton, Lela Jacobs, Jane Sutherland, and Jimmy D’s James Dobson.
St Matthew’s girls blitzed three of the school categories with Emma Schdroski winning the Streetwear award, Ella Sims winning the Nightlife award, and Lucy McLennan winning the Recycled award.
Students from St Matthew’s also placed runner up and highly commended in these categories, winning 8 of 12 category awards in total.
St Matthew’s teacher in charge of soft material technology, Ruth Bucknell, who also teaches the Wairarapa College students, said the Wairarapa entrants had done their schools proud.
“Everyone just wanted to know where this St Matthew’s was,” she said.
“I had to go up and get one of the awards because one of the girls was away, and of course, then they all knew I was the teacher.
“I was swamped with people asking me, where is this school?”
Mrs Bucknell said students from other schools in New Zealand had been preparing their garments all year, whereas her students had only been working through May and June to prepare theirs, as they also had to prepare garments for entry into the Oversew Fashion Awards prior to Hokonui.
Emma Schdroski’s designs were a standout to judges, winning the open award of Garment with the Most Potential, and also winning a merit award in the school section on top of her streetwear category win.
“Emma’s outfit had also been in the Home Economics & Technology Teachers competition at the end of last year as well and got nowhere, and I absolutely couldn’t believe it,” Mrs Bucknell said.
“And the same with Ella Sims. And they were two of the girls that won in Gore.
“Every judge sees things differently, but these garments, they were all so beautifully made.”
