Winners from the 24th Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art (WOW) Awards for 2012 were announced over the weekend with Bay of Plenty Polytechnic fashion tutor Debbie Shepherd picking up a top award.
Debbie's ensemble, City Lolita, won the Shell Sustainability Award in the Avante Garde section. Constructed entirely using upcycled metal zippers, City Lolita featured a corseted tailored jacket, a masculine shirt, tie and feminine crinolined skirt.
Formerly from Merseyside in England, Debbie visited the WOW Museum in Nelson on a holiday back in 2007. "I was so inspired by the amazing designs and works of art on display at the museum that I vowed to one day enter a garment myself."
Debbie immigrated to New Zealand in 2010 and began tutoring at the Polytechnic a year later which further ignited her determination to enter the internationally acclaimed competition.