Dressed in Resene: Colour of fashion

22 Jan 2026

Resene Colour of Fashion celebrated its 12th year in 2025, with 26 fashion students in the running for top honours. Fashion was in the air on one of the biggest days of the academic year, as butterflies filled the backdrop of the latest Colour of Fashion photo shoot.

Twenty-two Whitecliffe students studying for the Diploma in Fashion across two year groups and three campuses presented their designs to the judges in a day packed with energy, colour, challenge and reward, reflecting the industry they’ll graduate into at the end of the year.

Each garment is meticulously crafted from silk twill in new Resene fashion colours. The studio’s white walls were brought to life with butterflies painted in the year’s palette, echoing the theme, Colours of Change, and celebrating the twelve-year legacy Resene and Whitecliffe have built together, giving hundreds of graduating students a head-start in the industry.

Since 2014, Resene Colour of Fashion with Whitecliffe has supported students in their final year of the two-year Diploma in Fashion. 2025’s brief asked students to respond to the world around them and the shifting colours of their own lives, including experiences, choices, challenges and the people who’ve guided them towards fulfilment.

The design brief reads: This theme highlights the changing colours and the ebb and flow of life, focusing on the power of learning, resilience and transformation, much like nature’s rich and ever-changing tapestry.

Students have drawn inspiration from their personal journeys of change and from their Resene colour stories, with paint shades like Resene Pandemonium, Awaken, Dream Big, Smashed Avocado and Wild Thing sparking creative ideas.

From the human brain and crustaceans to Lake Taupō, Valentine’s Day, pounamu, a baby’s quilt, childhood summers and the nostalgia of old movies, a wide range of influences feature in the design rationales students presented to the judges.

Judging Day brings adrenalin-filled anticipation, lights, cameras, professional models and a judging panel, along with the chance for students to direct their own portfolio imagery from behind the camera.

“We love seeing the students immerse themselves in the story of their Resene fashion colour, reminding us all of the energy and meaning colour brings. We are proud to support a new group of fashion grads as they embark on their careers,” says Resene.

Doula Matheos, Programme Leader at Whitecliffe’s Wellington campus, says the project gives students a real taste of the fashion industry experience.

“Graduates of our programmes go on to excel in many roles, as diverse as merchandisers, buyers, costume designers, garment technicians, workroom assistants, patternmakers, machinists and fashion designers.

“Whitecliffe alumni are contributing their talents to brands like Weta Workshop, Entire Studios and Stolen Girlfriends Club among many others. Our curriculum, supported by Resene Colour of Fashion, prepares students for success in the contemporary fashion industry – in New Zealand and overseas,” she says.

See more online at Whitecliffe, and be sure to look out for Resene Colour of Fashion 2026!

Published: 22 Jan 2026