Whanganui High School Student Wins Hokonui Fashion Design Award

Whanganui High School student Emma Ogilwy scooped up a bunch of discarded jeans and unwanted straps from Chromebook laptop bags and turned them into an award-winning fashion design.

Emma is the 2021 winner of the
recycled school section of the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards.

“I bought old jeans from op stores and asked friends to donate their denim clothes that you don’t want anymore,” Emma said.

“I used a lot of tape to hold the pieces together and glued it to myself to see how it would work as a garment before I started sewing.”

High school fashion design director Kirsty Fecteau said Emma was very resourceful in planning and building the dress.

“She spread it out on the table and worked the placement of the pieces to the best effect,” said Fecteau.

“She put a lot of time into it and the use of the Chromebook straps just added a great finish to the build.”

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Fecteau said the students had been working on their designs last year and were disappointed the Hokonui Awards were postponed, so it was great to celebrate their success this year.

Emma was one of four students at Whanganui High School whose work was shortlisted as a finalist for the awards.

Hayley Bardell, a grade 12 student, was also a finalist along with Stephanie Waghorn, a grade 13 student, and Riley Heka, a grade 11 student.

Fecteau said students are encouraged to see fashion design as a career option with a wide range of opportunities, and the competition is a great way to build confidence in young designers.

Emma said she was surprised by her victory and will put her $ 500 prize money to save for higher education.

“I would love to study veterinary science although fashion styling is something I could consider,” she said.

Principal Martin McAllen said Emma’s success was great for the school.

“She’s a great student – she always does well academically and she’s also a brilliant volleyball player,” he said.

“We are very proud of her and the other students who made it to the final.”

About 125 students in grades 9 to 13 study fashion design at the school.

The Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, held in Gore in July each year, celebrated 32 years of awards in 2021.

There are four categories in the school section and students in the Whanganui area cleaned in the recycled category with Tanika Whale from Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton ranking second, and Brooke Wilson, a student from Nga Tawa, had been highly commended.