AUT graduates shine at NZFW

08 Sep, 2025
AUT graduates shine at NZFW
The six AUT graduates and models at NZFW’s Graduation Collections runway show.

Six fashion graduates from AUT’s Art & Design school featured in an impressive runway show at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week.

The Graduate Collections, which included designers from Massey and Whitecliffe, was very successful, said the head of AUT’s fashion department, Leica Johnson.

“We had many compliments on how cohesive the show felt, regardless of the diverse aesthetics of individual designers.”

The six AUT graduates showing their garments were: Rose Pegman,Caoimhe Tulloch, Joshua Lee, Gemma Goldfinch, Arlo Pavlovich and Abygail Santillan.

In Viva and on the NZ Herald website, here’s how the show was reviewed. “Visions of the future were most compelling at The Graduate Collections. The runway show compiled work from 18 designers at AUT, Massey University and Whitecliffe, spotlighting well-made designs that felt genuinely fresh.”

Fashion Journal said The Graduate Collections was one of the most anticipated shows at Fashion Week and the entire showcase was impressive, with AUT graduates Abygail Santillan and Rose Alisha (Pegman) particularly catching their eye.

More details about the AUT designers are below.

Rose Pegman

Rose Alisha is a recent 2024 fashion design graduate of the AUT Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa. Rose’s graduate collection, Artefacts of the Feminine Ego, presents an intimate examination of the nuanced complexities within the feminine ego and the impact of people-pleasing on one's inner self. The artisanal womenswear collection features distressed hand-dyed, buried silk, with intricate detailing explored through natural cotton textiles and traditional corsetry techniques.  In alignment with the course ethos, this body of work presents a values-led design model that reflects the transformative potential of maker ecologies and contemporary craft skills that work to advance small-scale, regenerative practices and to slow down consumption.

Rose is currently living in Taupō, Aotearoa, and is available for creative collaborations and one-off made-to-order garments through her emerging label, Bodies of Solace.

Gemma Goldfinch

Gemma Goldfinch is a recent 2024 fashion design graduate of the AUT Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa. Gemma’s graduate collection, Visible History, is a tribute to the working-class women who have been the backbone of the textile and garment industry for centuries and seeks to highlight historical fashion practices as an alternative to fast fashion. The artisanal womenswear collection features hand-stitched smocking details on locally sourced cotton and woollen textiles. In alignment with the course ethos, this body of work presents a values-led design model that reflects the transformative potential of maker ecologies and contemporary craft skills that work to advance small-scale, regenerative practices and to slow down consumption.

Gemma is currently studying a Master of Design at AUT, and available for creative collaborations and one-off made to order garments.

Abygail Santillan

Abygail Santillan is a recent 2024 fashion design graduate of the AUT Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa. Abygail’s graduate collection, Deterioration, explores the inevitability of ageing, and decay, encouraging the wearer to engage with garments not as static objects, but as evolving materials rich with meaning and memory. The androgynous streetwear collection features distressed, crafted hand-dyed denim, with intricate detailing explored through upcycled garments and the use of traditional Japanese sashiko hand-stitching techniques.  In alignment with the course ethos, this body of work presents a values-led design model that reflects the transformative potential of maker ecologies and contemporary craft skills that work to advance small-scale, regenerative practices and to slow down consumption.

Abygail currently lives in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, and is available for creative collaborations and one-off made to order garments.

Caoimhe Tulloch

Caoimhe Tulloch is a recent 2024 fashion design graduate of the AUT Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa. Caoimhe’s graduate collection, Fabric of ‘The Troubles’, presents a portrait of family heritage and reflects the rich history of textile manufacturing in Northern Ireland. The artisanal womenswear collection features re-worked lace, used here as a homage to a loved one, and woollen soft tailored textiles; both representing the duality of Northern Irelands’ textile and political histories. In alignment with the course ethos, this body of work presents a values-led design model that reflects the transformative potential of maker ecologies and contemporary craft skills that work to advance small-scale, regenerative practices and to slow down consumption.

Caoimhe currently lives in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, and is available for creative collaborations and one-off made to order garments.

Joshua Lee

Joshua Lee is a recent 2024 graduate of the AUT Master of Design programme. The New Order: Study 1.0 explores the intersection of fashion and industrial design through a systemic sustainable menswear capsule collection. Responding to the fashion industry’s culture of overproduction and overconsumption, this work proposes an alternative model that embraces longevity, craftsmanship, and intentional consumption. Joshua’s work reimagines traditional men’s workwear silhouettes from the 1950s using repurposed denim and tailoring techniques. Garments are designed not as finite products but as adaptable systems that evolve over time through disassembly and reconfiguration. In alignment with the programme’s values-led approach, The New Order: Study 1.0 exemplifies the transformative potential of maker ecologies and contemporary craft skills that work to advance small-scale, regenerative practices and to slow down consumption.

Joshua currently lives in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, and is available for creative collaborations.

  • Curated by Leica Johnson I  Andreas Mikellis  I   Joshua Lee at AUT
  • Joshua Lee

Arlo Pavlovich

Arlo Pavlovich is a fashion design graduate of the AUT Bachelor of Design Te Tohu Paetahi mō te Hoahoa.

Sew/NAR (pronounced “SONAR”) is an acronym for “Sewing, New and Repurposed”, which is foundational to the brand through both its visual aesthetics and philosophy, boasting environmentally conscious product and uncompromised style. Sew/NAR is a constantly evolving project by Arlo Pavlovich which places a strong focus on reusing and reinterpreting unconventional materials to create an impactful and simultaneously casual take on everyday garments. Arlo draws a lot of inspiration from Militaria and Sportswear/outdoor apparel, with an approach to creating that is informed by method and experimentation. In alignment with the course ethos, this body of work presents a values-led design model that reflects the transformative potential of maker ecologies and contemporary craft skills that work to advance small-scale, regenerative practices and to slow down consumption.

Arlo currently lives in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa, and is available for creative collaborations and one-off made to order garments.

  • Curated by Leica Johnson I Andreas Mikellis  I   Joshua Lee at AUT
  • Arlo Pavlovich: @sew_nar

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