John Paul student nabs ultimate prize

Young Designer of the Year winner Caitlin Flay wearing her entry. Photo / Ben Fraser

John Paul College fabric technology students shone at the annual National Young Designers Awards Competition, with one student walking away with the ultimate prize.

Of the 16 entries submitted by John Paul College students, 11 were awarded places for their designs.

In Senior High Street Fashion Caitlin Flay won, with Courtenay Flay and Kenji Villasan second equal, Toni Schnuriger won Senior Evening Wear, Kasey Martin won Intermediate High Street Fashion, Bonnie Simmonds won Intermediate Evening Wear, Claire Self was second in Intermediate Evening Wear and won Intermediate Handcrafts, Ruby Carter was second in Intermediate High Street Fashion, Caitlin Koller second in Intermediate Handcrafts and Elise van den Broek third in Intermediate Handcrafts.

Teacher Candace Thornton said all the entries were in the fashion category.

"All the handcraft placings were for the creation of cultural themed wall quilts which were outstanding."

Year 13 student Caitlin Flay took up the class for the first time this year and walked away as the overall winner of all the fashion categories.

Caitlin said she was not expecting the win. She said she had always loved designing clothes and the win had boosted her confidence.

"I got my inspiration from looking at dresses on the internet and then changed them to suit my style," she said.

"I was amazed the judges also liked my style enough to make me Young Designer of the Year."

The Young Designer Awards Trust is a New Zealand registered charity operating for the benefit of New Zealand youth. It is open to students aged between 11 and 18 and offers a number of categories.