On Thursday night, Auckland school students wowed the sold-out crowd at the Vodafone Events Centre with their eco-friendly wearable art for the annual Eye on Nature Wearable Arts Fashion Show.
Papatoetoe Intermediate School’s Room 1 scored the top prize in the primary and intermediate category for their garment, ‘Vai Koe Mo'ui'anga’ (which means ‘Water is Life’ in Tongan), modelled by Oli Kefu. The judges were impressed by the stand-out attention to detail, clever use of recycled material and the way the garment told the story of waka journeying to Aotearoa, navigating by the stars.
The secondary category was taken out by Nathaniel Dalton-Wilson from Botany Downs Secondary College, who designed and modelled his garment, ‘Water Warrior’. As well as the effort and skill that went into the garment, the judges commended Nathaniel for sourcing all his materials from beach clean-ups, calling him a “gladiator for nature”.
The Beautification Trust hosts the annual competition for Auckland schools as part of its award-winning children's environmental education programme, Eye on Nature. This year there were 93 entries, with the winners taking away a total prize pool of $3,500 cash for their schools.
Students were challenged to create wearable art around the Eye on Nature 2021 theme; ‘Mai nga maunga ki te moana, ko te wai te oranga. From the mountains to the sea, water is life.’
As well as originality and effort, the creations were judged on the materials used and the impact they have on the environment.
“The end goal isn’t just creating the garment,” said Beautification Trust Community Manager Dawn Crispe. “The students also needed to consider where the materials came from and what will happen to the garment afterwards. Can it be recycled? How will it break down? It’s all about encouraging tamariki and rangatahi to make sustainable choices in a fun and creative way.”
The showcase at the Vodafone Events Centre gave students the chance to model their eco-friendly creations on a fashion runway in front of a live audience. The show also featured live performances from Indonesian traditional dance group Aura Nustantra and hip hop and street dance collective Projekt Team.
The live fashion show was particularly gratifying for the youngsters taking part after COVID-19 restrictions forced the annual event online last year. “Being part of a large-scale, professional production was an exciting and unique opportunity for many students,” said Crispe.
The event was sponsored by Second Nature Charitable Trust, Auckland Council, and the six southern local boards.
Primary/Intermediate School winners:
1st place ($1,000 prize): Room 1 from Papatoetoe Intermediate School, ‘Vai Koe Mo'ui'anga’
2nd place ($500 prize): Alexandra Stuart-Burton, Mikayla Carr, Lakota McKenzie and Chloe Pollard-Wallkbank from Glenbrook School, ‘Papatuanuku o Kariotahi’
3rd place ($250 prize): Yasmin Drake, Lola Hamilton, Georgia Harman and Lily Brook from Beachlands School, ‘Mana Whio’
Merit ($100 prize): Ella Haschick and Samantha Hall from Sommerville Intermediate School, ‘Tino Nui Penehini Pango’
Secondary School winners:
1st place ($1,000 prize): Nathaniel Dalton-Wilson from Botany Downs Secondary College, ‘Water Warrior’
2nd place ($500 prize): Adeeba Shah from Ormiston Junior College, ‘Brydes Whale’
3rd place ($250 prize): Suzu Bennett from Botany Downs Secondary College, ‘Disruption Trigger’
Merit ($100 prize): Ishana Chand, Shanaiya Lata and Precious Goulter from Ormiston Junior College, ‘Transpiration’
コメント