National Graduate Showcase // VAMFF

Being students ourselves, the National Graduate Showcase was the VAMFF runway we were looking forward to the most. Eleven talented fashion graduate students from around Australia were selected to show their collections on Friday evening, and the expression of creativity and raw talent present on the runway was phenomenal.

The show was held at the Melbourne Museum and sent models down the runway to a wild mix of alternative music to suit each collection. To give you a quick idea of the crazy graduates who will be entering the fashion industry this year, we’ve made a little fact sheet on each designer.

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Ben Lalic presents FASHION-ABLE

Ben Lalic crosses sportswear with high fashion to create a collection that is more art than PE class. The clothes are an experiment in weaving and lazercutting and merges the two together to create a visually attractive menswear collection that would transfer easily to the street.

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James Greenway presents Harlem

James Greenway created a collection we would love to wear by designing garments that compliment and extend the shape of the female body. Standard feminine clothing designs were taken and re-created using uniquely treated material, or completely new materials Greenway had made himself.

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Stephanie Frig

Stephanie Frig took the style of cosy, comfy elderly clothing often found lurking on racks in op shops and turned those traditional designs on their heads by adding excess in every form. This collection is full of large silhouettes, loads of embellishments and lavish colours that stand out from the ever-popular monochromatic tones favoured by many.

Alexandra Lane

Alexandra Lane presents STACKS/01

Alexandra Lane presented a majorly white collection filled with oversized garments that played with texture to create structure. Each layer is detachable and interchangeable, which encourages consumers to customise each piece and vies away from fast fashion.

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Panayota Theodore presents IN TO THE BLUE

Panayota Theodore brought forth a crazy collection of clothes that would suit a futuristic Woodstock. Outfits of denim garnished with silver embellishments, press studs and holographic details walked down the runway, with bell sleeves and flares sashaying wildly from the models. Blue prints on the garments are of abstract seascapes from the designers hometown in Greece and are clashed with prints from the city life she lives in Sydney.

Rose Church presents churchofrose

churchofrose presents Silent Discord

Rose Church took grunge and contrasted it with white fabric, creating apocalyptic looks with hanging threads, layers of tied fabric and plastic embellishments. The materials of the clothes entwine and come together to create an image of conflict within surface.

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A Thora presents Sheath

Anna Thora Lindell dressed models in moveable art by using shiny, folded fabrics and pointed additions. Her collection is an experiment in texture and material that revolted against the traditional human form using tight clothing made from recycled bike tubes.

Lauren Elise Trend

Lauren Elise Trend

Lauren Elise Trend used a wide variety of colours and fabrics, ranging from bright stiff leathers, flowing garments in dreamy pastels and formal collars. The collection is about the journey of the material into clothing, with pieces ranging from single layered to multi and heat transfer prints utilised to further flatten material.

Alice Kennedy presents Leila

Alice Kennedy presents Leila

Alice Kennedy made reference to the era of the 60s and brought to mind visions of pop art. Sweet pastels were clashed with vibrant colour on cute little baby doll dresses modernised with structure provided by folded fabrics and hard plastic. The aim of the project was to delve into the future of wool, by experimenting with its various mediums like felt on PVC, worsted wool and chunky knitting.

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Cherry Luk presents TRANS/form

Cherry Luk presented an collection with an androgynous feel and loads of creative draping and tying of fabrics. Nude and pastel hues were utilised, and a hint of preppiness was added with button embellishments. Manipulation of shirts was used, by unbuttoning it and creating new silhouettes from a timeless piece.

Hannah Kim presents Haluminous

Haluminous presents Ode to the Monster

Hannah Kim dazzled the audience with heavy embellishments like shiny pearls, sewed beads, sparkly sequins, fluffy feathers and splashes of extra fabric. The large use of bling gave the collection a vaguely Asian feel, as did the varying shades of pink and white. Kim’s inspiration comes from folklore and fantasy, which led to this collection that fuses elements of human anatomy with floral imagery.

Mij Kim

Mij Kim

Liz Mij Kim streered away from traditional materials by using wool combined with light, sheer draping of fabrics. Muted colours of grey, purple, blue and cream reflect the style of a modern art painting transferred onto an oversized Korean jacket.

All images taken by David Finnegan of Sense6

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