With needle and thread in hand, Otumoetai College students are taking inspiration from their school sewing room to create a winning garment or textile art piece.

Pin'd is a regional fashion competition that gives students a real life experience to showcase their own designs to the community and industry professionals.

Each year local secondary technology teachers and other people from the community give up their time to organise, plan and gather sponsorship so students have an opportunity to showcase their latest fashion designs on a catwalk show at Tauranga's Baycourt theatre.

Otumoetai College technology teacher Charlotte Armstrong says the shows provide a cross section of garments, ranging from accessories to upcycling, innovative designs, fantasy and everything in-between.

The eight themes for this year's Pin'd fashion show are wearable arts, parents and child, print and graphic, glamour, I see red, denim, woven and twisted, and steampunk.

Otumoetai College Year 11 student Olivia Brown is entering the wearable arts category with a design that will light up the stage with fairy lights wrapped around the skirt and top.

She says this is the second time she has entered the competition and plans to continue taking part in the event.

'What I love most about the competition is that some things may be similar in the end, but on each end of the spectrum there will be new and exciting things,” says Olivia.

'It's not just about being challenged to make your own garment, but seeing what everyone else has created.”

A lot of students have been working through the school holidays to make sure their garments are ready for the runway.

'It's a bit stressful so close to the competition,” says Year 13 student Campbell Tito, 'because to begin with you always have such great ideas and then you have to put them into action.

'Then the garments end up looking completely different than when you started.”

The students also have a choice of whether they want to select a model, or model the garment themselves.

'Most of us are wearing the pieces ourselves because we know our own measurements and get to experience designing as well as modelling on a catwalk,” says Year 11 student Olivia Hurlock.

The Pin'd fashion show will be held on August 11 at 6.30pm at the Baycourt Community and Art Centre at 38 Durham Street.

Ticket prices are $10 for students and $20 for adults. For more information and tickets go to: www.pin-d.com