Past Newmarket Young Fashion Designer winners talk about their win

Time is running out to register for 2012 Newmarket Young Fashion Designer awards.  Past winners Blair Wheeler, Nicole Petra Wesseling and Paris Kirby believe the competition is well worth entering if you’re a student inspired by creativity and fashion.

Watch their discussion about this life changing competition here.

“I was really into fashion and wanted a way to prove to myself if I could do it,” said 2010 winner Blair.

“I entered the competition in 2009 and came 1st runner up, which made me even more determined to win the following year. I entered again and this time I did win!

“It was life-changing,” he said.

The brief for 2012 is to design an innovative and contemporary daywear outfit for today’s young urban man or woman using global events, popular culture, music, art and technology for inspiration.  Finalist’s garments will be judged by a leading panel of local Newmarket designers and experts in the fashion industry, with a showcase of the finalist’s garments at a gala evening in October.

A $30 registration fee applies; the official registration period closes on Friday June 1, 2012.  Registration forms and further information can be found at www.newmarket.co.nz or Facebook/NewmarketExperience.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Last night TVNZ’s Fair Go investigated the olive oil market in New Zealand with eye-opening results.  Do you know your oils?  Simunovich Olive Estate is proud to be one of the Southern Hemisphere’s leading olive oil producers.

Simunovich olives are picked at just the right time for flavour and colour and then processed entirely on the Estate using top-of-the range Italian-made processing equipment unique toAustralasia.

The benefits of their onsite processing facility are many:

• their equipment is closed, so pulp and oils are not exposed to air and therefore do not begin to oxidise before packaging;
• the process is continuous, so crushed olives are not left sitting around the factory waiting for emulsifying;
• no heat is involved. All Simunovich Olive Estate oils are cold pressed to maintain all their original flavours and nutritional benefits.
• being processed entirely on the Estate means they have complete quality control from picking to packaging.

After separation, the oil is immediately polished to take out any impurities including small droplets of vegetable water or fine sediment; but that is not the end, they filter it too. This is why Simunovich Olive Estate oil tastes so great and they can confidently say that no one else in New Zealand makes it this way.

The proof has been in the acclaim Simunovich Olive Estate oils have achieved at the New Zealand Olive Association Awards winning awards almost every year since processing first started at the Estate; in 2004 silver, in 2005 silver and gold, 2006 bronze, 2007 gold & bronze. The Simunovich Olive Estate First Press extra virgin olive oil achieved us a place as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s ten leading olive oil producers.

Some of the awards won by Simunovich Olive Estate

Simunovich Olive Estate olive varities include Leccino and Frantoio from Tuscany, Carolea from Southern Italy, Picul and Kalamata from Spain, Koroneiki from Greece, and J5 and J2 – traditional New Zealand varieties.

Some of the lovely Olive and Tebe range from Simunovich Olive Estate

Paul Blomfield PR is delighted to again be the point of call for any media enquiries regarding Olive and Tebe® products from the Simunovich Olive Estate.

Tebe® (pronounced teh-be) – is the luxurious product range from the Simunovich Olive Estate for face, lips, hands and body for women and men that combine ancient traditions of olive oil based skin care, with the powerful antioxidant ingredient; olive leaf extract. Olive Leaf Extract has been rediscovered worldwide for its amazing antibacterial and antiviral properties and it gives this amazing, all-natural collection a real point of difference in the New Zealand beauty marketplace.

Olive Body Care – is the product range for all the family; combining the worlds earliest recorded beauty ingredient, extra virgin olive oil, with a fabulous cornucopia of natural and organic ingredients. Olive is undoubtedly the best value skincare in the New Zealand marketplace, including products for face, hand, hair and body; including soaps, cleansers and moisturisers. The collection also includes delicate blends for baby care.

Simunovich Olive Estate makes its fabulous plant derived products right here in NZ!

Both ranges are free from mineral oils, synthetic preservatives and parabens, or other nasties like propylene glycol, petroleum by-products, sodium laureth sulphate, artificial colourings, dioxane gas or ethoxylated surfactants.  ALL the products are proudly made at the GMP registered Simunovich Olive Estate factory in the Bombay Hills using their own award winning olive oil and pure water from their own spring (no toxins in the water either).

Both product ranges are pH balanced, fast absorbing, non-greasy formulations that are nutrient rich, suitable for all skin types and definitely not tested on animals (4,000 years of human use cannot be wrong).

We also welcome media enquiries about the estate, olive oils and the superb Bracu and Kermadec restaurants!

Put your old jeans to good use with Volcom Give Jeans a Chance!

Don’t forget to drop in your old (but still wearable) jeans into your local Volcom retailer before the end of May and go in the running to win a custom Thrills motorcycle.  All jeans collected will be donated back through our friends at the Auckland City Mission.

More than 250 retail stores across New Zealand and Australia are asking the public to donate their pre-loved denim as past of this year’s Volcom Give Jeans a Chance campaign.

Last year over 3,000 pairs of jeans were collected; tripling their target!  Those jeans were then donated to a number of worthy homeless organisations here and in Australia including the Auckland City Mission.

From now until May 31, denim recycling bins are set up in participating stores waiting for your donation!

Head into one of the participating Volcom retailers stores throughout New Zealand and drop of your old (but still wearable) jeans into the Volcom Denim Recycling Bin.

Anyone who donates a pair of jeans at those stores will receive:

• a limited edition GJAC Sticker
• Skate DVD
• GJAC tote bag or GJAC hat
• and will be automatically entered to win a THRILLS Custom Motorbike and a year’s supply of Volcom Brand Jeans

See the full list of involved retailers HERE.

Bill Geradts talks to Close Up reporter Abby Scott

In case you missed it, Armageddon Expo creator and founder Bill Geradts, spoke with Abby Scott from Close Up about his latest project: Beyond Reality Media.  Watch the full interview here.

The first of the hard cover books THE INSPIRATION DUNCANS and WARDEN soft back were recently released at Armageddon Hamilton and Wellington.

Beyond Reality Media has also just commissioned a second volume of ROBERT RANKINS EMPIRES as well as their two new books ONE MUST BREAK and THE DARWIN FAERIES – both which have been a great success, with a huge response on both titles.

Beyond Reality Media, uses writers, artists, colourists and other comic creatives based all around the world.  Each book is released online, one page at a time, on a weekly basis.

For more information, check out www.beyondrealitymedia.com

Volcom: Give Jeans a Chance

Stuff.co.nz/AucklandNow reporter Amy Maas spoke with John Clapham of Volcom clothing and Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson about clothing the homeless.  Around 100 people sleep rough just around Auckland’s city centre, almost half of which are under the age of 24.

Read the full article here.  For more information on Volcom: Give Jeans a Chance campaign click here

Donate your old, but still wearable jeans to this great cause at one of the following Volcom retailers throughout New Zealand:

Auckland

• Amazon – Downtown Auckland
• Amazon – Sylvia Park
• Amazon – St Lukes
• Amazon – Albany
• Boardertown – Botany Town Centre

Waikato

• Backdoor Surf, Chartwell – Hamilton
• Backdoor Surf, Worley Place – Hamilton
• Morisseys – Tokoroa
• Gag – Raglan

Bay of Plenty

• Thames – Blackjack Surf & Skate
• Whangamata Surf
• Island Style – Mt Maunganui
• Nevada – Mt Maunganui

New Plymouth

• Taranaki Hardcore
• Seasons Surfboards

Gisborne

• Blitz Surf Shop

Palmerston North

• Amazon

Wellington

• Amazon – Lambton Quay
• Amazon – Queensgate
• Surf N Snow – Cuba Street

Nelson

• Cheapskates
• Astrolabe Fashions

Westcoast

• Westside Surf Street, Greymouth

Canterbury

• Amazon, Northlands Mall – Christchurch
• Amazon, Riccarton Mall – Christchurch
• Amazon, Shirley – Christchurch
• Soul Surf – Timaru
• Chicago Joes – Ashburton

Otago

• Soul Surf & Skate – Oamaru
• Cheapskates – Dunedin
• Roots The Beginning – Balcutha
• Nu Dax – Alexandra
• Amazon, Queenstown
• NZ Shred, Queenstown

Southland

• Carvin Streetwear – Gore
• Raw Energy – Invercargill

Watch the Armageddon Expo footage from Claudelands

The inaugural Armageddon Expo in Hamilton took place at Claudelands over the weekend of 14-15 April.  Claudelands came to life with over 12,000 people attending to celebrate pop culture mania.  Hundreds came dressed in their favourite character outfits and the popular zombie walk saw around 200 people donned in fake blood take to the streets.

A huge success for the city’s first Armageddon event which will be back for 2013!

Past Newmarket Young Fashion Designer winners: Paris Kirby, Nicole Petra-Wesseling and Blair Wheeler

Aspiring young fashion designers take note; the Newmarket Young Fashion Designer of the Year competition for 2012 is now open!  Registrations are now being accepted for New Zealand residents aged between 16 and 19 years of age who dream style, think texture and just love fashion.

The winner will receive a two year scholarship with the prestigious Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, an overseas fashion trip for two including accommodation and $1,000 spending money from Business World Travel and Qantas, plus a two week internship with top New Zealand designer Vicki Taylor at the Taylor design workroom.

Launched in 2009, the Newmarket Young Fashion Designer award has served to fast-track some incredible up and coming talent and helped to get their careers off to the best possible start.

Event organiser Donna Corbel from the Newmarket Business Association said “This competition is the only one in the country that really focuses on giving young up-and-coming designers a real start in what is renowned for being a very competitive industry.

“As New Zealand’s leading fashion district, Newmarket is keen to remain at the forefront of recognizing and nurturing young fashion talent to its full potential,” she said.

2010 winner Blair Wheeler believes the competition is a fantastic way to prove your ability and determination.

“I was really into fashion and wanted a way to prove to myself if I could do it,” says Wheeler.

“I entered the competition in 2009 and came 1st runner up, which made me even more determined to win the following year. I entered again and this time I did win!

“It was life-changing,” he said.

The brief for competitors in 2012 is to design an innovative and contemporary daywear outfit for today’s young urban man or woman using global events, popular culture, music, art and technology for inspiration.

The finalist’s garments will be judged by a leading panel of local Newmarket designers and experts in the fashion industry, with a showcase of the finalist’s garments at a gala evening in October.

A $30 registration fee applies; the official registration period closes on Friday June 1, 2012.  Registration forms and further information can be found at www.newmarket.co.nz or Facebook/NewmarketExperience.

For competition information contact:

NYFD Event Organiser: Donna Corbel; donna@newmarket.co.nz or (09) 529 3047

Donate your pre-loved denim for Volcom GJAC

More than 250 retail stores across Australia and New Zealand are calling out for the public to donate their pre-loved denim as part of this year’s Volcom Give Jeans a Chance campaign.

Volcom aims to collect as many jeans as possible for homeless and disadvantaged people in need, ready to be distributed in time for Winter.  From now until May 31, Denim Recycle Bins are set up in participating stores and awaiting donations.

Anyone who donates a pair of jeans at these participating stores will receive; a limited edition GJAC Sticker, Skate DVD, GJAC tote bag or GJAC hat and will be automatically entered to win a THRILLS Custom Motorbike and a year’s supply of Volcom Brand Jeans.

Fifty more winners will be randomly chosen from each participating store to receive a pair of Volcom Brand Jeans.

In 2011, Volcom collected more than 3,000 pairs of jeans nationally (tripling their target!) and donated them to a number of worthy homeless organisations across Australia and New Zealand including the Auckland City Mission.

For the first time this year a number of schools will also be participating as well as a selection of national Board Rider Clubs.

In addition to donating jeans through Volcom retailers nationally, collection bins will be present at a number of other key Volcom surf and skate events taking place around the country this month.

For more information about Give Jeans a Chance including a full list of retail stores taking donations click here.

Conan Stevens (Photographer: Kent Blechynden)

Conan Stevens is one big guy; standing over 7ft tall he made quite the statement when attending Armageddon Wellington Expo over the weekend.

Most recently, he played Gregore Clegane – also known as The Mountain – in the first season of the fantasy series Game of Thrones and will be seen in the soon-to-be-released The Hobbit movies as Azog.

Sophie Speer of The Dominion Post caught up with Conan at the Armageddon Expo.  Read the full article here

The Armageddon Expo Wellington was one of the biggest the city has seen yet with over 15,000 people immersing themselves in all things pulp culture at the TSB Bank Arena over the weekend.

Blair Ensor of The Dominion Post went to the event over the weekend to talk with fans and the stars of the event.  Read the full article here