The drinks were mocktails, the models were the spectators, and most of the clothing was born as something else. But it was all great.
On Saturday night, Alexandra’s Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery was transformed into a catwalk, replacing the usual shop for a fashion show of clothing made from wool.
Customers ordered mocktails and dessert plates and enjoyed looking at the models.
Winton fashion designer Diane Dynes started the evening by using recycled wool garments in her designs and explaining the beginning of her journey into upcycling wool garments.
Mrs. Dynes had a store where she sold one-off designs.
On a whim, she made a top out of an old woolen jersey she found in the OP shop when she “didn’t want to be seen in the OP shop like it is now”.
They sold quickly and she realized she was onto something.
Mrs. Dines said her passion for sustainable living and reducing waste has been the foundation of her life and work.
An early collection of upcycled clothes was sold on the market, she said, and the interest people showed in its construction inspired the next phase of her business.
After teaching dressmaking for several years at SIT in Invercargill, she developed her own workshop program and now teaches how to transform discarded, worn or damaged clothing into something new and fashionable. I am traveling.
Selected from the audience upon arrival, her models showed off unique garments that were more than the sum of their humble parts.
Merino wool, denim and small decorative details were all sourced from a variety of cut-off jerseys, coats, jackets and jeans and reconstructed into new creations.
Audiences were able to stop the models and take a closer look at the techniques involved in the garments they were showing off.
The second part of the evening showcased the winning garments of the previous year’s WoolOn creative fashion event.
WoolOn committee member Francis Anderson said as he prepared for Saturday, it didn’t matter which box of archived clothing he opened and whether there was treasure inside.
An amazing range of styles and materials were showcased, with all garments being at least 75% wool, as required by the competition.
Loader designer Becs Calder showcased two garments.
One was woven and then sewn into satin, and the other featured crochet stitching with tiny pearls.
Entries for this year’s WoolOn event are open now.
Mrs. Dine will be holding a workshop in Alexandra in March.