Mushroom-inspired creations that veered from Wellington to Alexandra stole the show on Saturday night.
Masterton agriculture and science teacher Allison MacKay scooped the supreme award with her Mr Fungi ensemble, which also won the hand-crafted section, while the accompanying piece Ms Fungal won the avant garde section.
Created in crochet scrumbles — small pieces which were sewn together to make a fabric — the pants, tank, jacket and hat were embellished with 3-D fungi.
"I was very surprised. I had no idea they would get a prize, Mrs MacKay said."
The inspiration for the winning garments came from a pink oyster mushroom kit given to her husband last Father's Day.
The colours kick-started the idea and initially her intention was to enter the outfit into WOW in Wellington.
WoolOn had been on her radar and after checking the website decided that was where her creations should go.
The play on words in the names led her to think a Fungal needed a Fungi for company.
Mrs MacKay did not start out with a vision but made the scrumbles and put them on dress forms as they came together.
She also liked to infuse some science into everything she did.
"Wool being a natural product, it can easily be decomposed by the superheroes of the world.
"What I teach at school is that if we didn’t have the fungi and bacteria that decompose everything we wouldn’t be able to survive."
WoolOn ran in two shows on Saturday - a matinee and evening gala performance.
This year’s judges Liz Mitchell, Margi Robinson of NomD and Christina Perriam were impressed with the intricate, handcrafted elements of the garments entered.
They spent more than an hour on Sunday morning at a judges’ talk discussing their decisions and offering designers advice.
Wool workshops, including felting and spinning, alongside traders offering yarn and tools for crafting and completed wool garments were held at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery on Sunday.
The winning garments will be on display at Central Stories until September 17.
