Whitecliffe fashion lecturers Rhys Muru-King and Nicole Van Vuuren are making waves in Aotearoa’s fashion community, with recent achievements that highlight both creativity and sustainable practice.

Rhys Muru-King, who teaches on our 120-credit Apparel and Fashion Technology programme, has been selected as a finalist to showcase his label, Too Cruel To Be Kind, on the prestigious Fashion Futures Runway on the 28th of August at NZ Fashion Week 2025.

Fashion Futures is an exciting platform that highlights the next generation of designers shaping the future of fashion through creativity, innovation, and sustainability. You can check it out here: NZ Fashion Week, Future of Fashion.

Alongside this achievement, Rhys and Diploma lecturer Nicole van Vuuren have been recognised together through their creative platform NVVR.world, earning two nominations at the Fashion Awards — Sustainability Initiative of the Year and the Rising Star Award.

This recognition highlights not only their incredible creativity and commitment to innovation, but also the leadership and inspiration they bring to our students and the wider fashion community every day.

Whitecliffe is proud to celebrate Rhys and Nicole’s ongoing impact on the runway, in the classroom, and across Aotearoa’s fashion industry.

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Too Cruel To Be Kind, designed by Rhys Muru-King

Collection from NVRR.World, designed by Nicole Van Vuuren and Rhys Muru-King