Teacher cuts a dash at awards

A Wairarapa College teacher is sharing victories with her fashion design students on catwalks across New Zealand.

Ruth Bucknell, Wairarapa College teacher in charge of textile and design, was named the overall winner at the Oversew Fashion Awards at Carterton Events Centre on Saturday. Her Year 12 student Sam Hodgins won the Young Designer Award at the inaugural event.

"I don't ask my pupils to do anything that I won't do myself. You have to lead by example and show that even someone from a small country town can still be up there and strutting their stuff with the best of them," Ms Bucknell said.

"It's just about making them believe in themselves, encouraging whatever spark they've got and igniting the flame."

The pair's entries in the Carterton contest had to be fashioned from used clothing and photos of the original garments had to accompany the submitted outfit.

Ms Bucknell walked away with $1000 cash and a night at The Summit Lodge in Gladstone for her entry, which was a fully-lined and tailored coat and a '50s-inspired dress made from men's suits, a woman's skirt, vintage doilies and a damask tablecloth and serviettes.

The same outfit also won Ms Bucknell the winter section prize of $750.

Ms Hodgins won $500 cash and a sewing machine in the 14 to 18 years of age category for her spring section entry, which comprised a dress featuring a bodice made from a curtain and flowing skirt made from a variety of other garments.

The win was only the latest this year for Ms Bucknell and her students.

Entries were accepted from Ms Bucknell and 14 of her textile and design students for the 2012 Hokonui Fashion design Awards in Gore.

Ms Bucknell was named runner-up in the denim section of the premiere fashion event while her student Isaac Coulston won the Secondary School Excellence in Technical Skills and picked up a $2500 sewing machine; his classmate Nicole Towgood won $500 in Streetwear; Tegan Harvey won $100 as runner-up in Avant Garde; and Susan Colton won a Secondary Schools Section Merit Award.

And earlier this month, students from Ms Bucknell's classes won places at the Wairarapa Wearable Arts for secondary schools, including three firsts, three seconds, a third, three X-factor awards and the overall X-factor award.

Ms Bucknell said she was proud of the achievements her students were racking up.

Students were now working on garments for the annual Wairarapa Inter-Collegiate Fashion Extravaganza.