Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Whangarei designer graduates with goal of opening fashion business

By Mikaela Collins
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
22 Nov, 2017 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Susie Williams started sewing when she was 8 and now she is graduating from her fashion course. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Susie Williams started sewing when she was 8 and now she is graduating from her fashion course. Photo/Michael Cunningham

It was a "very sparkly" bubble skirt Susie Williams made when she was 11 that was the first of her designs to make her proud.

And while she wouldn't like it now, she really liked it then.

Now 17 Miss Williams is about to graduate with a level three/four fashion design qualification from The Design School Whangarei.

"I've always loved drawing and anything to do with art I wanted to do. At first I wanted to design book covers, that's why I did a graphic design course last year and switched over to fashion design this year," she said.

Todayfrom 4pm to 8pm The Design School Whangarei, which opened in 2014 and teaches graphic and fashion design, is holding an exhibition and open day where students' work will be displayed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Managing director Mike Saywell said the school was in a completely different spot this time last year because the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) had indicated it would not fund the level two fees-free courses, which meant the school would close.

However, at the last moment the school was told it would receive funding which covered 2016 and would cover the next 12 months.

He said while that initial uncertainty affected enrolments this year, next year was looking better.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"This year's been quiet in terms of enrolments, 2018 on the other hand is already going off. It's going to be really exciting."

Miss Williams said she has always loved clothing.

"I've always designed and made my own clothes and if I did buy clothes I would edit them."

She learned to sew about age 8. The first item she made was an apron but the first thing that made her proud was a skirt when she was 11.

"I made this skirt and I wouldn't like it now but I really liked it then. It was like a bubble kind of skirt and it was very sparkly."

Earlier in the year Miss Williams created a dress for young singer Merlia de Ridder to wear to the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Miss Williams said it was the first time she had designed something to be worn by someone else.

"It was pretty cool."

Next year Miss Williams wants to start work and save money. Eventually she wants to create an ethical online fashion business with her sister who is studying a business degree.

Ensuring the business is ethical is important.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"A lot of fabric causes a lot of greenhouse gases when it goes into landfill and that's really bad.

"There are so many fake things that don't decompose and they just make so much plastic and I want to do something that is really good."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Opinion

Property Insider: $120m Wiri sale; Ryman's sinking village buildings; opposition to Bay of Islands marina

09 Jun 05:00 PM
Business

The $80m blackout: How a pylon error plunged Northland into darkness

05 Jun 10:22 PM
Northern Advocate

Dargaville water crisis: Businesses face losses and residents raise health concerns

31 May 12:09 AM

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Property Insider: $120m Wiri sale; Ryman's sinking village buildings; opposition to Bay of Islands marina

Property Insider: $120m Wiri sale; Ryman's sinking village buildings; opposition to Bay of Islands marina

09 Jun 05:00 PM

OPINION: What will a big Australian investor do with its new $120m Wiri property?

The $80m blackout: How a pylon error plunged Northland into darkness

The $80m blackout: How a pylon error plunged Northland into darkness

05 Jun 10:22 PM
Dargaville water crisis: Businesses face losses and residents raise health concerns

Dargaville water crisis: Businesses face losses and residents raise health concerns

31 May 12:09 AM
Premium
KiwiSaver changes 'a burden' for small businesses and self-employed

KiwiSaver changes 'a burden' for small businesses and self-employed

22 May 08:00 PM
Clean water fuelling Pacific futures
sponsored

Clean water fuelling Pacific futures

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP