Students design Clearview winery merchandise

Clearview's Helma van den Berg with T-shirt designers Michelle Hellyer (left) and Eden Clarkson. Photo/Supplied.

A long-standing link between the Eastern Institute of Technology and Clearview Winery has resulted in two young design students seeing their creative works being set in print.

Print on cotton, and with a grape-influenced touch, have gone into production to become part of the winery's merchandise line.

Clearview co-owner Helma van den Berg attended the EIT when she began viticulture studies in 1990 and business partner Tim Turvey studied winemaking when they first established Clearview 25 years ago. Last year they decided to restore the link through supporting the institute's ideaschool end-of-year exhibitions.

This year Ms van den Berg took it further and contacted ideaschool tutor Nigel Roberts to set up a competition. Grapes, wine, Hawke's Bay and Clearview was the flavour of the brief.

Six emerging designers took up the challenge to come up with a T-shirt design, which involved visiting the winery estate and checking out its atmosphere. When the results were handed in, Ms van den Berg was impressed and delighted.

"The standard of the entries exceeded my expectations and we obviously found it hard to select just one," she said.

So she selected two. The works of Eden Clarkson, 22, and 20-year-old Michelle Hellyer got the nod, and the pair will not only get to enjoy a Clearview lunch and wine, they will also be presented with one of the limited edition T-shirts they designed and which are now on sale at the cellar door and via the winery's website.

Both are in the second year of their bachelor of visual arts and design degree.

Ms Clarkson said she used the unique view from the winery as her inspiration.

"The view out to Cape Kidnappers is iconic to Te Awanga, and Clearview is the only winery in Hawke's Bay that visually associates themselves with Cape Kidnappers.

"So I decided to contain this view within a wine glass in order to create a design that would stand alone as an interesting shirt, and perhaps surprise people on further on inspection of the design," she said.

While still not sure of her long-term design future, she relished the challenge and it sparked her to wanting to learn more about the wine industry in the Bay.

Ms Hellyer said her inspiration came from a photo she spotted on the winery's website. "It encompassed all the wonderful things about the place - the great wine, great food and a great view," she said.

" Using the Clearview wine label shape to frame the illustration was my way of bringing all aspects of my idea together."

She too was unsure where her design ambitions would head, but said she was "definitely" in the right place at ideaschool to pursue her future.

Ms van den Berg said she expected the T-shirt design project would become an annual event.

"We know there is a steady demand for our merchandise and this year's shirts will update one previously designed by Fane Flaws. They may become a collectable, perhaps," she said.

Suzette Majors, head of ideaschool, said she was proud of what the students had produced and added she was equally proud and appreciative of the relationship EIT had with Clearview.