This is a story about three ‘f' words: fashion, fate and feat. Two women with a love for fashion, brought together by chance, and each won international prizes.

Rachel Harradence models Mount Maunganui resident Jo Odgers' creation on the beach catwalk. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Mount Maunganui's Jo Odgers is the fashion designer. She's a five-time World of Wearable Art Awards winner and has had gowns worn by beauty queens.

Auckland's Rachel Harradence is one of those beauty queens, with two sashes that read Miss International NZ 2014 and Miss World NZ 2014.

The two met last year following a very random, but very fortunate, phone call.

'I just got a random call from Auckland last year from Rachel, who said: ‘You don't know me but I'm looking for an international costume and someone told me to ring the woman who runs Pohutukawa Gallery in The Mount',” says Jo. She guesses it was through word of mouth that Rachel found her.

Rachel borrowed one of Jo's dresses for the Miss International NZ pageant in Tokyo last year. This year, Rachel wore the 50 ostrich feathers, curtain voiles and sequined bikini Jo transformed into a winning costume for Miss Cosmopolitan World 2015 in Kuala Lumpur on October 10-11.

Jo won the award for Best International Costume, and Rachel was crowned Miss Cosmopolitan World.

'I've won a few awards during the years but winning a Best International Costume award overseas is definitely one of my biggest achievements to date,” says Jo.

'I've had a few costumes worn by various Miss New Zealands competing overseas and I've been enjoying the challenge of creating beautiful costumes to represent our beautiful country.”

Fitting the theme Aotearoa, The Land of the Long White Cloud, Jo's creation includes a ‘cloud-like' cape made from curtain voiles, nude fabric, a bedazzled bikini and a head piece of 50 ostrich feathers.

'I love that concept of recycling, reusing, and turning something discarded into something beautiful.

'We were going for that Victoria's Secret look,” says Jo. 'Apparently her nickname in Kuala Lumpur was Victoria's Secret because of her dress.”

Putting the prize into perspective, Jo's still getting her head around the idea it's her costumes on the international runways.

'I saw a photo of some of the other costumes and they were so elaborate and amazing because some countries spend quite a lot of money on their international costumes.

'I made Rachel's on my lounge floor at home. So it's quite neat to be able to compete against all these big guns and take the award.

'It's been so amazing getting photos of these things on international stages and it's like, ‘Whoa I made that'.”