Enchanted entry

Mahurangi College student Katya Korchagina won the Enchanted Earth category (for her design pictured) at the Walk the Line event, part of New Zealand Fashion Week, held last month.

The Year 13 student was one of 14 Mahurangi College students who took part in the show.

Katya’s design was inspired by mushrooms and their spores, and the decomposition cycle that occurs in nature every day.

“The brown jacket and hat represent the soil that nurtures them, while the ruffles on the skirt and other details represent the mushrooms that grow and emerge from the earth,” Katya said. “Underneath the jacket is a white shirt with many layers added to the collar, originally to mimic the mushrooms that grow on trees.”

Walk the Line provides a platform for young aspiring fashion designers, and many participants have gone on to forge successful careers within the fashion industry.

The garments showcased at last month’s event were designed and constructed entirely by the Mahurangi students as part of their textiles programme.

They worked through the full design and development process, from initial concepts and experimentation to pattern development, construction, fitting and refinement of the final garments.

“I made this design entirely from second-hand materials or materials that were already available to me, such as chair covers and old bedsheets, as sustainability is one of my main focuses,” Katya said.

“I spent most of the term doing trials and trying to figure out how to make my designs work in real life, and the week before the rehearsal I sat down and worked on it every night.”