Georgia Currie: Hot on the runway | Canterbury Lifestyle News | Health, Fashion, Food and Wine in Canterbury

Fashion student today, top designer tomorrow.

That's the plan for 21-year-old Georgia Currie who took out Westpac Young Designer of the Year at New Zealand Fashion Week in Auckland.

"I'm very excited and it's so amazing to be recognised at that level. It's still hard to believe at the moment. Even just going to fashion week was incredible," she said this week.

Miss Currie plans to move to Auckland and begin work on her own clothing line when she finishes her studies at CPIT at the end of the year.

She said it was "really emotional" seeing her three-piece collection, Wonder Axis, on the runway. "It was so surreal. The whole night was so crazy. I just burst into tears when they told me I'd won. I didn't expect to win, it was a total shock."

Miss Currie won $5000 and, as part of the prize, will be mentored by one of Auckland's top designers Angela Lewis.

"I'll talk to Westpac and Angela and see what they think is best, but I do want to start up my own line. I met [Angela] before the show and she was super cool, so it'll be fun to work with her. Just having her knowledge will be amazing - even if I might ask her some stupid questions!"

But before all that can happen, she must come down from the buzz of winning and finish her final assessment for her CPIT fashion course.

"I've just got to knuckle down at the moment and get my work done so I can finish."

Fashion page 15.