An interview with local creative + Runway Revival entrant Margaretha Situmorang

Check out this interview with Runway Revival 2025 contestant Margaretha Situmorang! With one of the most beautiful, stand out pieces on the Runway last year, we are so excited to see what she will bring to the table with Runway Revival 2026

1. What inspired your design for Runway Revival 2025? Where did the idea start? What theme did you do? - My design for RR25 is with the theme of wedding dress. I wanted to do this theme after realising that a wedding dress is too good to simply live only one day in a lifetime. I wanted my runway design using a wedding dress to be reusable, again and again, in many different ways and occasions. I was thinking, a wedding ceremony is a momentous occasion of one's life, marked with long and pricy preparation, so, being able to relive that moment many times, would be a great investment. After all, why not enjoy the cheerful moment as much as we can?

2. .Can you tell us a bit about the materials you used and where they came from? - The main materials I used for the design come from the bag I received after my registration. I also used the $100 voucher to buy some other materials, like fabric, pattern, and haberdasheries. There are also some fabric accents that I used in the design, which I bought from Stitch Kitchen.

3. What was the biggest challenge you faced while creating your piece? - I think the biggest challenge was the sizing, as I was working without a dressmaking mannequin. So it takes several attempts for me to get the size right. Another challenge is the many varieties of "white" in my original wedding dresses which are not necessarily matched. But, being able to add another fabric made it work in the end and actually fun to see the colour combination of the many white.

4. Was there a moment during the process where you had to completely rethink or pivot your design? - The moment I needed to pivot was when I couldn't decide whether I wanted to make a pants or a skirt, which I ended up making a pants but camouflage with the flowy skirt look. Maybe I got inspired by the Scottish kilt that is ever present in Dunedin? Who knows... 😉

5. How did it feel seeing your creation on the runway for the first time? OR (if you wore your own designs) What was it like walking the runway? - It feels surreal to be honest. I never thought that I would be able to design my own garment, let alone showing it off to people on the runway. But, I always love performing, so I was also very excited for the runway.

6. What does sustainable or upcycled fashion mean to you personally? - Personally, sustainable or upcycled fashion means not only creativity, but also kindness. By upcycling fashion, we are giving a second chance to things that are otherwise being thrown away. It takes no brainer to dispose of things, but only a creative mind that can give life again. It is kind, to the environment and to whoever is responsible in making that piece of fashion item come to life. 

7. Has being part of Runway Revival changed the way you approach fashion or creativity? - Yes, being part of Runway Revival makes me more conscious of how garments are being produced and appreciating the hard work of turning threads to fabric to fashion. I no longer find it too easy to ditch cloth when there's a tiny hole or out of style. I challenge myself to get creative by mending them, or changing its function and looks. 

8. What was your favourite part of the Runway Revival experience overall? - The Dress Rehearsals and the Runway! Not only do I get to show people what I have made, I also get to see other people's creations. It's fascinating to see how different approaches can create different looks and really to challenge myself to do something different next time.

9. What advice would you give to someone thinking about entering this year’s competition? - DO IT. I know it can feel scary to have your creation being judged. But, that's part of the fun. If you like to be creative or at the very least, don't like to see things go to waste, then joining the competition is an open letter to everyone you know that you care for sustainability.

10. Are you working on anything creative at the moment that you’re excited about? - Yes, I'm currently working on documenting my creative works (drawings, writings, crafts, garments, etc) over the past decade through my personal blog. It's exciting to see what I have done and what else I could do. Hopefully I could have it up and running before the year end 🤣