"It's such a large spectrum. It's more than fashion. It's the manufacturing of the product, from the fibre to the yarn and the entire process until you have the end result."
The support of her high school fabric technology teacher encouraged her to go to university and gain a PhD.
"I've enjoyed every minute of it."
After finishing high school in 2013, Sophie started her tertiary education at the University of Otago in 2014.
She says the first step to gaining her PhD was completing a Bachelor of Science in Clothing and Textile Sciences.
"I also had a focus on zoology as well. This was a three-year course. In 2017, I moved on to my master's degree, which was two years."
She says when she started the first year of her master's degree in 2018, she learned the Centre for Materials Science and Technology was to be disestablished.
"The staff were very supportive of me continuing on to a PhD. Luckily, I started my doctorate just before the cut-off so I could continue my degree until I was finished."
To gain the PhD, Sophie did experimental work and wrote a thesis.
Sophie graduated in December 2021, and says she is pleased to have the doctorate.
"It's something I've worked hard on and to have it now is such a good feeling."
