WoolOn is very happy to have four esteemed judges for 2026!
We welcome back Liz Mitchell and Christina Perriam for another year and introduce you to first time WoolOn judges Jane Sutherland and Lucy Girvan.
Liz Mitchell
"As a designer, I am always excited to see a Fashion Design competition that highlights the design potential of wool yet holds space for both emerging and established designers to showcase their creativity. As an activist, I believe that addressing the challenges of today’s wool industry and working towards solutions for a more regenerative, healthier planet starts with community and promoting this incredible fibre.WoolOn accommodates both off these."
Liz Mitchell MNZM is on of New Zealand's foremost fashion luminaries, an ardent champion of wool and an icon of bespoke tailoring. Her designs have graced red carpets, including the Academy Awards, and have been chosen by the nation's most prominent leaders, most recently Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and her predecessor Dame Patsy Reddy. Mitchell views WoolOn as a vital platform for sustainable progress.
Jane Sutherland
"Kingston, a town of just 400 people, allows the mind to wander and the pencil to sketch freely. A place where the drillings and clangings of the workshop peal with no audience. Where conviction ricochets off stony peaks and the light insists we are all photographers.”
Designer and artist Jane Sutherland brings a raw, architectural design lens to the panel. Operating from her remote studio in Kingston at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu, Sutherland is acclaimed for her fusion of heavy-gauge metalwork and fine textiles. Almost entirely self-taught, her work oscillates between high fashion and structural object design with an industrial focus. Her expert eye will challenge designers to push the conventional boundaries of wool structure and form.
Christina Perriam
“When I was little, I spent so much time with my mother in the Merino Shop in Tarras. I loved watching makers come in and share the beautiful wool pieces they’d created. I was exposed to so many techniques from a young age, and I’ve always been inspired by what talented creatives can do with wool. Supporting WoolOn feels like honouring that beginning and supporting making with wool into the future.”
Christina is founder of the luxury knitwear brand Perriam. Raised on historic Bendigo Station, her personal and commercial connection to the Central Otago landscape infuses her work with a rich narrative. A lifelong devotee of wool, blending traditional heritage techniques with elevated modern style, Perriam’s involvement underscores WoolOn’s mission of championing makers who choose wool as their primary artistic medium.
Lucy Girvan
“My passion for textiles began at a young age growing up on the farm and was further developed through studying Fashion Design at Otago Polytechnic. I love being able to connect farming and fashion by creating garments that tell the story of where they come from while celebrating the natural qualities of New Zealand wool.”
In founding Eweburn Creek Knitwear, Lucy was inspired by her family's sheep and beef farm ‘Glenderry’ in the Maniototo. As a WoolOn entrant in previous years her involvement bridges the gap between rural production and design education. She will lend her expertise in judging the Youth Awards (Under-13, Under-18, and Under-25) and the WoolAid Pink Plaster Challenge, ensuring the next generation of designers receives expert, constructive mentorship.
