Fashion awards Australian judge

Press, 1 March 1982, Page 12

Fashion awards Australian judge

An Australian fashion authority will be the guest judge on the panel for the final adjudicating of the Benson and Hedges/Helena Ru-binstein-Fashion Awards in Auckland in March. Mr. Warren Marx is fashion controller for ’ women’s wear for the David Jones Group. i He began his fashion ! career in retailing as a > David Jones Executive • trainee, becoming a section ! { buyer for sports wear. By the

age of 26, he was group buyer of all women's sports wear. He spent five years in London, where he worked mainly with Cresta, a chain of women’s fashion stores owned by Debenhams. After his return to Australia, he opened his own fashion agency, and started a design label named Tobe. Six years ago he was approached by David Jones to return as fashion controller, the post he retains today. Mr Marx will join Mr Bill

Rushworth, of Wellington, product manager for apparel with associated sponsor, the New Zealand Wool Board; Mrs Paddy Walker, Mrs Vera Dreyer of Auckland, and Mr Terry Buckle, fashion cbn-' troller for D,I.C. in Dunedin, to make their final awards decisions. Seventy-seven entries from the 300 received for the awards have been nominated for final judging on Tuesday, March 16. The New Zealand panel of

judges spent two days inspecting the garments for finish and cut, and saw them modelled. At the end of the judging, having selected the garments they considered ’should be nominated for final judging, together with a selection of other meritorious entries for a parade of non-winning highlights, they commented: “We found our task stimulating, with the level of creativity particularly pleasing;

“There appeared to be a fresh confidence, with a stirring of new ideas amongst not only established designers, but also amongst the numerous new designers who submitted garments. “Of note was the sensitivity and inventiveness used in relating fabric to the finished design.” Auckland labels dominate the manufacturers’ section, with Peppertree appearing in all five sections and Hullaballoo in four.