Woolly for you AgResearch

Cybele, Sera Lilly, Jaeha and Sherieyvonne were among the New Zealand labels who designed outfits using new technology wool fabrics for the AgResearch show at Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2008. 

Pictured here L-R are designers Sera Lilly, Cybele Wiren, Alex Kim and Sherie Muys before the catwalk show.

Cybele, wearing one of her own dresses in a loose style as she's pregnant, with Costume National shoes, said of her $15,000 Air New Zealand Development Award announced at the fashion week opening party on Monday night, "My win was just amazing. I'm planning to go back to Tokyo, we got some great stores and agents there and maybe do some in-store things and meet the media. The second thing would be a trip to New York as I've had a lot of interest from USA agencies. It's important to us that the fit is right (between the Cybele label and the store) so we really need to go there and meet the person.

Jaeha's Alex Kim is wearing nudie jeans and a Jaeha top, and said he hadn't been able to catch any of the shows so far at fashion week.

Sera Lilly, also pregnant, is wearing Hailwood dress and a Lonely Hearts jacket. She particularly enjoyed shows by twenty-seven names and Jaeha but is tired from being pregnant and the highlight has definitely been going to bed at the Westin Hotel every night. Her own show "was wicked. I was really pleased to see it up on the screen cos I don't get to see it from backstage."

Sherie Muys wears her own shirt in the collection that won her the Deutz fashion design award.  

The new fabrics weren't the only thing being demonstrated today; a dreadlocked man and some mutated furry animal costumes were protesting outside the fashion week venue. The protesters gave out sheets about AgResearch application to develop genetically modified (GM) animals. 

The wool in the fashion show wasn't GM though, it was New Zealand wool that can be machine-washed and dried and keep you cool. By not having to dryclean it, it is lighter on the environment and uses less chemicals. 

We loved many of the pieces created by the young designers, particularly Cybele's silver armoured coat and Sera Lilly's prom dress from suiting and Jimmy D's corsets with maxi cableknit acid wash wool skirts.