Deeargee Station lights up for 2022

For the first time in decades, Deeargee Station near Uralla, New South Wales, lit up its iconic octagonally-shaped woolshed for the Fleece to Fashion Gala Awards night, welcoming 350 black-tie clad patrons through the gates and into shed pens to witness a unique wool fashion parade featuring emerging designers embracing merino wool in their collections.

Dechen Kandro, aged 15, of Uralla State School, was announced the winner of the MJ Bale Supreme Award, acknowledged for her winning design – a pant-suit, cape and clouche hat – made entirely from Australian merino wool.

Fleece to Fashion board director and local wool grower Liz Foster said Miss Kandro was awarded the top prize for her “head-to-toe” which was absolutely beautifully made.

“The judges were blown away by Dechen’s entry – not only was it a stunning outfit, the fact it was made by a young student who started sewing at the age of nine, to improve her skills has been taking sewing classes with a professional dress-maker locally in Armidale,” Mrs Foster said.

“Dechen wants to be a fashion designer – she wants to go onto bigger and better things. Winning the 2022 Fleece to Fashion MJ Bale Supreme Award has put the spotlight on Dechen’s immense capability and ingenuity at a very young age and we wish her every success with her talent.”

Miss Kandro was also awarded first prize in the Winterbourne Pastoral Company Secondary School Award. Inspired by the versatility of merino wool, Ms Kandro said it was a “very special fibre” to work with.

“I took my inspiration for the pant-suit from Chanel but I wanted to make something than could be dressed up for a special occasion or be worn on an everyday basis and I also included a felt hat, which is something I had never designed or made before, which was a lot of fun,” she said.

The 2022 Fleece to Fleece is one of the first large-scale, formal events to return to the New England region following the Covid-19 pandemic, and has attracted fashion design entries from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Mildura, Young, as well as the local New England region.

The event celebrates the compelling story of Australian merino wool production and its esteemed presence within the top fashion and textile manufacturing capitals across the world by hosting its annual Awards night to recognise upcoming fashion designers embracing merino wool in their collections.

Fleece to Fashion is supported by major fashion brands and their designers who use merino wool in their collections, including MJ Bale, Lady Kate Knitwear, Akira, Iris and Wool, Emu Australia, and Neil Grigg Millinery. Agribusiness and Armidale-based sponsors include the Australian Wool Network, Winterbourne Pastoral, Nutrien, Virbac, Roberts & Morrow, Cressbrook Merinos, Bredal Austraila, and the RegionalCollab.

Mrs Foster said the three-year build-up due to Covid-19 cancellations, this weekend had been a huge success and long-awaited gathering for wool producers, fashion designers, the New England community, and wool industry stakeholders.

“The Deeargee Woolshed all it up for our gala event was truly something to behold,” Mrs Foster said.

“We had a bold vision to literally deliver the concept of ‘fleece to fashion’ in its purest form and thanks to the Sutherland family, owners of Deeargee Station, who have allowed us to open their shed to the public for the Awards, the entire production has been a tremendous showcase of wool, fashion, in an iconic venue in our local area.”

Located in the New England hills behind the township of Uralla, Deeargee Station played host to this year’s matinee show and the Gala Awards night. Deeargee is known for producing some of Australia’s finest wool and is home to a unique, octagonally-shaped woolshed built in 1872 to replace an earlier shearing shed that had been destroyed by fire.

The 2022 wool fashion collection was judged by renowned Australian fashion designers Akira Isogawa, former designer for RM Williams and Country Road Jonathan Ward, and fashion journalist and media personality Melissa Hoyer, who will also conduct the Master of Ceremonies for the Awards and indicated this year’s quality was the best they’d seen in the competition to date.

On top of the prize money on offer to entrants, a bespoke design internship was offered by fashion icon Akira Isokawa who personally selected one successful entrant at the Gala Awards, providing them the opportunity to study for a three-month period directly under Akira himself at his studio in Sydney. The 2022 internship was awarded to Ella Tardrew from the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

2022 Award winners

Section one - Winterbourne Pastoral Company Secondary School Award

• First prize: Dechen Kendro, Uralla (cream pantsuit, pink cape, clouche hat)

• Second prize: Kayla Cook, Armidale (1920’s Coco Chanel-inspired pink woven dress

with jacket)

Section two - Virbac Emerging Designer Award

• First prize: Catherine Lesmana, Melbourne (monotone collection)

• Second prize: Yasuha Miki, Adelaide (Japanese feminine menswear)

Section three - Bredal SportswearAward

• First prize: Margaret Creagan, Armidale (red and black elegant ski outfit)

• Second prize - Pam Stolhand, Young (rainbow ski)

Section four - Nutrien Wearable Art Disney Recycled Wearable Art Award

• First prize: Kimberley Francis, Adelaide (evil queen)

• Second prize: Pam Stolhand, Young (Cochella Pocohontas)

Section five - Regional Collab Diversity in Wool

• First prize: Sarah McCaskie, Orange (cream triangular panel bodice and pants)

• Second prize: Sophie Davidson, Orange (cream dress and fleece-like jacket)

Section six - Roberts & Morrow Race Wear Award

• First prize: Samantha Stolhand, Young (purple jersey draped dress)

• Second prize: Judy Bond, Mildura (cream and black crocheted suit)

Section seven - Cressbrook Evening Wear Award

• First prize: Samantha Stolhand, Young NSW (teal jersey draped gown)

• Second prize: Judy Bond, Mildura NSW (black sequinned crocheted gown)

Section eight - Rydges Bridal Wear Award

• First prize: Julie Harris, Uralla (ivory traditional wedding gown)

• Second prize: Judy Bond, Mildura (cream crocheted hooded wedding gown)

Deeargee Most Marketable Award

• Kayla Cook, Armidale (1920’s Coco Chanel-inspired design)

Australian Wool Network Innovation Award

• Catherine Lesmana, Melbourne (Whitehouse Institute of Design monotoned

collection)

Akira Internship – Ella Tardrew - Whitehouse Institute of Design

MJ Bale Supreme Award – Dechen Kendro, Uralla Central School