The top ten looks have been chosen.
Students were briefed by their tutors five weeks ago. They were asked to ‘align the professional principles of contemporary fashion design with global runway presentations’ in designing and making their garment, seeking inspiration in the words ‘our planet and our part in it.’
An excited group of 16 Whitecliffe students, studying for the Diploma in Fashion, presented their designs to the judges on Friday 3 July, experiencing some of the adrenalin, challenge and reward of the industry they will graduate into at the end of the year.
Judges saw that each garment was meticulously-crafted by the students from silk twill which had been dyed in Resene fashion colours, in a project designed to support them in their final year of a one-year Diploma in Fashion.
Colours like Resene Staccato, Resene Staycation, Resene Twice As Nice and Resene I Dare You made the 2026 palette for the project.
On Judging Day students saw their designs worn by professional models. They directed their own portfolio photos from behind the camera and will show their designs on the runway at the Whitecliffe Graduate Showcase in Auckland and Wellington later in the year, where the winner will be announced. The winner receives a $1000 cash prize gifted by Resene.
10 finalists selected by the judges for 2026 Resene Colour of Fashion collection:
Evan Lamont Alexander |
Keiron Briggs |
Astyn Fernandes |
Amelia Matthews |
Cate Moyle |
Tatarata Noo Katu |
Cecilia Beaglehole |
Rialette Bronkhorst |
Lay Dia |
Neon Rhind |
At the end of 2026, Whitecliffe and Resene will bring this unique fashion education partnership to a close. As this time-honoured project comes to an end, new opportunities will be explored by both partners.
The inaugural Resene Colour of Fashion project in 2014 brought vibrant colour to the fashion stage, nudging the neutrals of the time.
Throughout thirteen years, the fashion industry saw the project bring fresh ideas – sewn, woven, smocked, crushed, quilted, draped and pleated into extraordinary works of silk. In those years, about 400 fashion students turned 2000 metres of silk twill into 400 runway-gracing garments.
Ali Den Harder of Resene says the company is proud to have supported this project for 13 years.
“We have loved seeing New Zealand’s newest fashion designers shine. We are grateful to Whitecliffe for this enduring partnership, and we know Fay and her team will find new exciting ways to showcase their students’ talents, while preparing them for a future in a dynamic industry,” she says.
Always innovative, New Zealand’s leading, home-grown paint brand will explore new, eye-catching ways to bring its colours to life, while also giving unique opportunities to young Kiwis keen to exhibit their design talent in colour, building on the success of Resene Colour of Fashion.
Dr Fay Amaral, CEO Whitecliffe, says the partnership with Resene has given Whitecliffe students an opportunity to work “at the intersection of creativity, industry and professional practice.”
“The Resene Colour of Fashion project consistently challenged students to think boldly, respond to real-world briefs, and translate amazing colours into compelling fashion narratives. We are deeply grateful to Resene for their long-standing commitment to education and creative experimentation, and proud of the many graduates who have carried this experience into successful careers.
“As this chapter comes to a close, we thank Resene and look ahead to new, exciting partnerships that build on this legacy and continue to expand what is possible for our students,” she says.
Doula Matheos, Programme Lead at Whitecliffe, says:
“For 13 years, our partnership with Resene has created a space where students’ ideas can grow, take risks, and come to life in meaningful ways. It has been incredibly moving to witness their journeys from the early shaping of an idea to finding their voices as designers, and confidently sharing their work with the industry.
“As we enter this final year of Resene Colour of Fashion with Whitecliffe we’re excited to celebrate what’s been achieved and the lasting impact it has had on our students,” she says.
Looking back, the project has splashed colour across fashion runways, studio backdrops, photo spreads, media coverage, student portfolios, graduate CVs, job interviews and family albums.
In 2016, Olli Paroli (19) of Wellington combined a silk camisole with a deconstructed men’s shirt (design pictured at left) to evoke the separation of lovers in his design. Clare Weterings (19) also of Wellington structured a pantsuit to mirror the architecture of a Swiss watch museum (pictured right), and Rawi Rangi (20) of Auckland combined her Māori and Samoan woven flax heritage in a fashion pantsuit (pictured centre.)
In 2019, four of the ten Auckland finalists in Resene Colour of Fashion attended the same west Auckland high school – Massey High School – where the school’s former Fashion Academy teacher Jonelle Tumaru known as ‘Mrs T’ seemed to have sparked a fashion phenomenon.
Mrs T was the students’ biggest fan, influencer, tutor, mentor and passionate believer. Fashion students Terrell Henry (22), Janesa Boreham (23), Roileta Pritchard (20) and Samantha Parr (20) (design pictured above) all attended Mrs T’s fashion classes at high school and all were catapulted into the fashion big-time as finalists in 2019’s project.
For Jordan Tay, his winning deconstructed red pantsuit in 2021 (design pictured above) was sparked by a childhood memory of shredded timber seen during his parents’ house build.
Jordan said his design in Resene Smashing was like a paintbrush stroke – reimagining the wooden framing and exposed wires of his family home under construction in the jacket, and strong linear foundations in the pants.
In 2023, the white walls of the studio, where judging and photography took place for Resene Colour of Fashion, were strung with bunting hand-made out of coloured fabric from the project’s previous years, giving recognition to the legacy Resene and Whitecliffe had built in ten years.
And in another gesture to mark the project’s 10th year, an archive of dresses from the project were donated to a charity gifting ball dresses to high schools.
The 2025 winner, Arionne Tresadern, started out in engineering.
“It’s rewarding to share this with my mum, as I can now put my certificate for Resene Colour of Fashion under her certificates from Benson and Hedges and Smirnoff Awards, earned while she was studying fashion,” Arionne says.
“I spent my childhood in Long Bay, attended Long Bay College, and after graduating school I pursued a Bachelor of Art and Design at AUT, majoring in Communication and Graphic Design. Following uni, I spent two years working in an engineering workshop – a valuable experience, but one that ultimately led me to realise my true passion. In 2024, I made a career change and went to study fashion at Whitecliffe,” she says.
In 2026, the creative thinking of Whitecliffe’s current year group of eighteen students is as sharp as ever. They are ready to wow the judges on Judging Day – Friday 3 July.
Released by Whitecliffe in association with Resene
For information contact Sally Elton, Elton PR, Ph. 0274 980 568; Email [email protected]
