Young Tawa fashion designer to showcase his talent at NZ Fashion Week

It might be the opportunity of a lifetime but one Tawa fashion designer is determined New Zealand Fashion Week won't be the last time people see his work.

Studying at New Zealand Fashion Technology, 21-year-old Andre Ngeth was selected to compete in this year's Resene Designer Runway event.

Students picked a number out of a hat correlating to a brown paper bag which contained a silk sari from southern India.

After transforming the material into a silk dress, a panel of judges selected his work among 16 other pieces to open three shows at next month's Fashion Week.

"It was definitely surprising finding out but I'm definitely happy. It has been a very long and exhausting journey but it has paid off," he said.

"I can say this won't be the last that people will hear or see of me and my work. Fashion gives me a pathway towards expressing my passions."

Throughout the design process, from a piece of southern Indian material to a completed silk dress, Ngeth ensured the finished product resembled the image in his mind's eye.

Called "Zinzan" for its dark blue colour, Ngeth's dress is made out of sari silk, a traditional material found in southern India.

The fabric is sandwiched between specially folded cardboard, called pleated boards, and then doubled over to create the pleat of the fabric.

Inspired by contemporary visual art and modern minimal architecture design, Ngeth contrasted the heavy pleats with a gold feature.

"​The dress was done painstakingly step by step, and it was really about getting what was in my head out onto the runway.

"It's important to me that the finished product resembles exactly what I envisaged. To me, it is a waste of time if I can't get it right, it's almost disrespectful to what you're doing."

Ngeth's next foray into the fashion world might be in New York after he graduates from the Fashion Tech.

"I just have to keep moving. To me I'm still venturing out in the fashion industry picking up pieces from everywhere for inspiration. But this won't definitely be the last of me."Read more at:celebrity dresses | formal dresses