A Central Otago fashion event is hoping to build back bigger and better, aiming to re-establish its special celebration of wool.
Tickets are on sale for this year’s WoolOn Creative Fashion Event, to be held at The Canyon near Tarras for the second year running.
Chairman Nigel Wilson said this year was about reestablishing the event ‘‘to get it up and running again, but without any major differences to it’’.
The 2022 event was cancelled because of Covid, halting any forward progress made following a successful 2021 show.
‘‘That really kneecapped it,’’ Mr Wilson said.
He hoped this year the event could build back bigger and better.
‘‘That’s the intention — to grow it after this year — build on the success of it.
‘‘We intend to get a bigger venue and grow it,’’ he said. Funding had been secured for the 2023 event, something that had been an issue in previous years.
Community funding boards had really come in befind to support the event, he said.
Having ‘‘very dedicated, professional committee members’’ working to secure sponsorship and funding had also played a part.
‘‘It’s all worked very well.’’ Mr Wilson said he hoped the event would expand, returning to its Alexandra roots.
The event moved outside of its birthplace in 2020 after it was no longer able to secure an appropriately sized venue.
‘‘Next year we’ll bring it back to Alexandra . .. to just grow it after this year,’’ he said.
Expanding the annual event would make it one of the keystone events in the region.
He was keen to ‘‘get some more of the industry on board . . . we could turn it into an expo’’. WoolOn will be held at The Canyon, near Tarras, on August 11-13.
