The WoolOn Community Expo brings the magic to you. See the winning garments fresh from Saturday night’s prize-giving.
This year’s WoolOn Gala brought a 600-strong crowd to its feet at the Alexandra Bowling Club — and now you can see the winning garments up close, right here at Central Stories.
Taking out the Supreme Award and its $5,000 prize was 88-year-old Alexandra local Daphne Randle, for her striking piece “Highland Warrior” — a hand-knitted kilt and top made from 100% pure wool, inspired by the Otago Warriors league team motif. Known for her signature “Fernzwear” — a distinctive mitred, fern-shaped knitting technique — Daphne had an outstanding night, also picking up the Hand-Crafted category with “Candy Floss” and 2nd Runner Up with “Land, Sea, Sky.”
2026 Major Award Winners
- Supreme Winner: Daphne Randle — Highland Warrior (Sponsor: Devold)
- 1st Runner Up: Viv Tamblyn — Ride the Waves One Day at a Time (Sponsor: Hawkeswood Mining)
- 2nd Runner Up: Daphne Randle — Land, Sea, Sky (Sponsor: Maitai Insurance Brokers and Accelerate Engine)
- People’s Choice: Viv Tamblyn — Ride the Waves One Day at a Time (Sponsor: Braeside McKnight Brothers)
- Commercial Viability Award: Ryan Shepherd- Liminal Lines (Sponsor: Perriam)
- Menswear Award: Ryan Shepherd
- Novice Award: Kim Priest– Birds of a Feather (Sponsor: LJ Hooker)
- U25 Emerging Designer Award: Marlena Koeninger- Off the Loom (Sponsor: Matakanui Station)
- U18 Secondary School Young Designer Award: Bella Donaldson- Inherited (Checketts McKay Law)
- U13 Primary School Young Designer Award: Leanne Kamota- Heritage Roses (Sponsor: Singer and Southern Lakes ITM)
- U13 Primary School Runner Up Award: Mia West- The Butterfly Catcher
- U13 Toi Tu Ki Uruuruwhenua Winner: Marli Sole & Jahleigha Nicholls- Piu Piu (Sponsor: Aitken Joinery)
- U13 Re-Use, Recycle, Repurpose Winner: Maddie Peterson- Floral Maze (Sponsor: Flooring Xtra)
- U13 Streetwear Winner: Orla Galbraith- Colourland (Sponsor: Tall Poppy)
- U13 Hand-Crafted Winner: Adalyn Blake- Cherry on Top (Sponsor: Duncan Anderson)
- Pink Wool Plaster Winner: Ava Snyman- Go and Come (Sponsor: Wool Aid)
- Look Out World Award: Claudia McNally & Alice Wing- Clyde Dam (Sponsor: Earnscleugh Castle)
- Felting Frenzy Award: Wandi Ncube- Moonlit Cascade
- Central Otago Young Designer Award: Henry Paterson- The Shearing Sheep (Sponsor: Create Hope in the World and Rotary Club of Alexandra)
Category Winners
- Machine-Crafted Winner: Laurel Judd — Tropicana (Sponsor: Custom Mortgages)
- Toi Tū ki Uruuruwhenua Winner: Daphne Randle — Highland Warrior (Sponsor: Aitken Joinery)
- Hand-Crafted Winner: Daphne Randle — Candy Floss (Sponsor: Duncan Anderson Dental)
- Accessories Winner: Joy McDonald — The Cutest Sheep in the World (Sponsor: Ida Valley Station)
- Reuse, Restyle & Repurpose: Laurel Judd — Faceoff – Waste Not (Sponsor: Flooring Xtra)
- Streetwear Winner: Sandy Austin-Fraser- Imposter (Sponsor: Tall Poppy)
- Special Occasion Winner: Daphne Randle- Prime Thyme (Sponsor: Creative Fibre NZ)
- Collections Winner: Sandy Taing- A Radical Jester’s Guide Fashion(Sponsor: AWS Legal)
- Avant Garde Winner: Rodney Leong- Just Add Water (Sponsor: Barrett Homes)
All these garments, along with a record number of entries from our youngest designers, are now on display at Central Stories — bringing the glamour of the runway into an intimate gallery setting.
On Display Now — Last Day Sunday 13th September
Where: Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery, 21 Centennial Ave, Alexandra
Entry: Free
Hours: Open 7 days a week, 10am – 4pm
Whether you were at the Gala, joined us for the Community Expo, or are discovering WoolOn for the first time, this is your chance to get up close with the garments that wowed the judges this year. Don’t miss it — the display comes down after Sunday 13th September.
