Dunedin is preparing for a blizzard of winter fashion collections at the 7th annual Vodafone ID Dunedin Fashion Show to be held on Saturday 10 March 2007.

Fashion designer Tanya Carlson describes Dunedin as "one big incubator" for fashion, and was "wowed" at the recent 2006 Otago Polytechnic graduate fashion show where four lucky graduates were selected to take part in the 2007 ID show.Dunedin is preparing for a blizzard of winter fashion collections at the 7th annual Vodafone ID Dunedin Fashion Show to be held on Saturday 10 March 2007.

Fashion designer Tanya Carlson describes Dunedin as "one big incubator" for fashion, and was "wowed" at the recent 2006 Otago Polytechnic graduate fashion show where four lucky graduates were selected to take part in the 2007 ID show.Twenty-three labels from established, emerging and new generation designers will take part in the show.

The Vodafone ID Dunedin Fashion Show 2007 will feature nine designers in the designer section: Carlson, Cherry Cotton Candy, Nom*D, Mild Red, Charmaine Reveley, Keucke, Dot Com and Love Lies Bleeding.

A brand new section called the Capsule Collection will feature mini-collections from three designers: Joan Leach, Monday Morning and Tamsin Cooper.

Elusiv, Firefly and Keita Machine are the three labels showing in the New Generation section.

Keita McGowan of Keita Machine and Marcia Hudson of Monday Morning have already experienced the catwalk spotlights when they combined forces earlier this year for the 2006 Emerging Designer Awards. Their new wave, mod-influenced menswear - complete with 1950's Cary Grant glasses, winklepickers, and skinny trousers - was a knockout and they are definitely two labels to watch.

It has been a tough and rigorous process for the ID designer, capsule and new generation selectors Margo Barton (School of Fashion, Otago Polytechnic), Sharlene Camp and Stacy Gregg (runwayreporter.com) who pondered over photos, sketches and collections to decide who would make the cut for the 2007 event.

Ben Smith and Nicola Reilly of Elusiv are the only menswear label selected for the 2007 ID Show. INXS lead singer JD Fortune wore Elusiv at a recent Auckland gig, and now the label is a full-time resident at the Dunedin Fashion Incubator. Ben says their menswear is for New Zealand men who are proud of where they come from.

Four graduates from the Otago Polytechnic will be breaking the ice into the fashion world, and already graduate Helen Adam has spent a week working with Karen Walker as a finalist for the 2006 Inspiring New Zealanders.

Gemma Webb, Kate Anderson and Fiona Ralph join Helen Adam in their first showing as designers in the Otago Polytechnic graduate section, after being chosen by a graduate selection panel comprising of fashion designers Cara Cotton (Cherry Cotton Candy), Tanya Carlson (Carlson) and Tim Pollock (Marketing Manager, Dunedin Public Art Gallery).

A special guest designer - whose identity remains a closely guarded secret - will return to ID after the success of New Zealand icon Zambesi showing at the id event this year.

The ID Show celebrates its seventh birthday in 2007, and is the premium event for the Vodafone ID Dunedin Fashion Week held from 6-10 March 2007.

For news, information, video clips and stories, and the event guide go to id-dunedinfashion.com