Past WoolOn winner ready to give it another spin
AS the WoolOn competition returns to Central Otago, fashion prodigy and Dunedin student Isabella Miscisco is spinning her own yarns in anticipation.
Showcasing a range of woollen garments and a variety of categories, the Central Otago event has grown to attract entries from all over New Zealand, and even overseas. Originally from Cromwell, Ms Miscisco was entering the competition for a third time this year.
Ms Miscisco only started learning to knit in 2020, when she was 18, with the help of her grandmother, she said.
‘‘But I didn’t really pick up anything until 2021.’’
She explained her body shape was not proportional to something found at popular women’s clothing stores.
‘‘I’ve been making stuff to fit me for three years now.’’ Ms Miscisco described the inspiration for her pieces as ‘‘sexy’’, accentuating one’s feminine curves or their standout physical attributes.
‘‘Like my friend, they’ve got these beautiful blue eyes, and that’s something that I try to incorporate.’’
Ms Miscisco first got involved in the event after hearing about it from her nextdoor neighbour, who was a student representative on the WoolOn committee at the time.
‘‘I had been doing a bit of artsyfartsy stuff in the school. ‘‘So, she shouldertapped me to come with her so she wouldn’t be alone.’’
She felt encouraged to submit a garment that year, but after mixing up the dates, she was left with just a few weeks to complete it.
‘‘It was a very basic, very notsogood outfit.
‘‘But getting to have a taste of the designing and modelling side of it was all really cool because I got to model my own outfit,’’ she said.
In 2023, Ms Miscisco gave herself much more time to prepare and ended up connecting with local women around Dunedin to spin wool for her design.
‘‘I ended up winning my category, my open section category for glamour. ‘‘And then I won young designer — that was really awesome.’’
This year, Ms Miscisco will be spinning her own yarn, entering the streetwear category.
‘‘Last year was such a high for me being able to win both those things. ‘‘I would love to win something again this year, but I’m trying to keep my expectations low because last year was so amazing.’’
For the past few years, the event had been held at The Canyon at Tarras, but this year it is has returned to Alexandra.