A Te Puke High School teacher is trading the classroom for the catwalk after being selected to judge a wool fashion competition she previously entered.

“It kind of feels surreal,” says Lucy Girvan, who will take her seat on the judging panel at this year’s WoolOn competition in Alexandra, in the South Island.

The 24-year-old grew up on a sheep and wool farm near another Central Otago town, Ranfurly, and studied design at Otago Polytechnic before launching a wool fashion label, Eweburn Creek.

She now balances the label with her work as a textiles teacher at Te Puke High School after gaining her master’s in teaching and education last year.

Girvan said wool was often overlooked in fashion despite its strong connection to New Zealand.

“I think that wool’s super-undervalued: The whole process stays in New Zealand, none of it goes offshore, it’s 100% traceable.”

Her connection to wool runs deep; her father worked as a shearer before becoming a stock agent and eventually owning a farm.

The wool used in Eweburn Creek garments is sourced directly from her family’s property.

“I always wanted to do something with our family’s wool, and I worked at Otago Knitwear in Dunedin, which gave me a good step in the door to help find the right connections.”

Eweburn Creek garments are 100% made from a fine, 23-micron wool from a merino-Border Leicester sheep breed mix.

Her collection aims to highlight wool’s durability, softness and breathability while promoting the fibre as a sustainable and environmentally friendly choice for fashion.

Girvan said, “in this day and age”, sustainability was a “big thing” when it came to fashion.

“You can’t be a fashion designer and not think about sustainability and I think that wool is the one thing that New Zealand can do really well, it’s literally from our backyard.”

WoolOn challenges designers to create garments made from at least 75% wool.

Sixty-nine designers have entered this year’s sold-out competition, and about 600 people are expected to attend the matinee and gala shows.

Lucy Girvan's entry in WoolOn 2024 was 'Pretty in Pink' for the Streetwear category. Photo / Lisa Hill

For Girvan, being asked to judge the competition is a chance to bring together her background in wool, design and teaching.

She described balancing her careers as “kind of a wee bit chaotic, but it’s all good”.

She said her students knew a “wee bit” about her background in fashion.

“I think it’s cool for them to see the different avenues they can go down, and some of them are really interested in taking their designs to the next level.

“I do love fostering little designers; it’s fun.”

Girvan said she still couldn’t believe she would be sitting on the judging panel for the same competition she entered as a participant in 2024.

“I’ll be sitting down with these other judges who I look up to as fashion designers, so it’s kind of crazy that I’ll be in the same room as them.”

Girvan said, as a judge, she wanted to see pieces that stood out and showed careful thought.

“Out-there thinking, really well-finished garments, and what has gone into the design process behind it all.”

Girvan will help judge WoolOn’s growing youth category this weekend.

She joins returning judges Liz Mitchell MNZM and wool entrepreneur Christina Perriam on this year’s judging panel, alongside fellow newcomer Jane Sutherland.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.