Wade High School students Amber Williams and Ashlee Barraclough were nominated by their textile teacher Erika Ellis for the Apex Australia Teenage Fashion Awards.

The competition provided the budding designers the opportunity to manufacture and model their own fashion garments. The talented pair made it into the finals for NSW/ACT.

Amber, who entered garments in the daywear and fantasy categories, was awarded silver medals for both.

She was also named Teenage Designer of the Year and went on to represent NSW/ACT at the national awards in Sydney on October 10, which was held at Fox Studios.

“I was shocked to do so well because there was a lot of competition,” Amber said.

“It was nice to be able to represent Griffith; this is the first time a Griffith school has entered and it was nice to

come away with such a good result.”

For Ashlee, whose striking red and black design was inspired by the film Moulin Rouge, the competition was a great opportunity to grow.

“We learnt so much from doing this,” she said. “The judges looked at details such as sewing techniques, creativity and the overall package. We had to make them from scratch and had to carry the theme all the way through, right down to the music we used.

“The whole experience was fun and inspiring. I’m already thinking about what I’d like to do for next year.”

Amber and Ashlee would like to thank their teacher, Mrs Ellis, for nominating them and also Troy Robb from Apex NSW/ACT.

The finals from Newcastle will be seen on Aurora TV on November 14 and the national final on December 19 at 8pm.