Making It: 20 years of Student Fashion

The Australian fashion industry generates millions of dollars in domestic and export earnings, making it a key component of our creative industries sector. It is the fashion design schools who prepare graduates to take on diverse roles in the industry, fostering creativity, critical thinking and entrepreneurship.

Since 1993 the Museum has presented the annual Student Fashion display showcasing extraordinary designs by the top graduates from local tertiary institutions. This year’s display includes striking outfits from the top four fashion graduates of 2012 including Inder Dhillon from the  Fashion Design Studio, Sydney TAFE; Andriana Jacky from Raffles College of Design and Commerce; Kathleen Choo from the University of Technology, Sydney and Ryan Samways from the Whitehouse Institute of Design.

This year also marks 20 years of Student Fashion. Over 140 designers have showcased their graduate collections in the Museum’s annual display. Making it highlights some of these former students careers today, including designers who established their own fashion labels, those that became lecturers and academics, and others that went on to design for major Australian and international fashion brands. These Student Fashion ‘alumni’ include Timo Rissanen, Alana Clifton-Cunningham, Gabriel Lee, Toni Maticevski, Micaela Ezra, Lauren Vieyra, Prue Rainey, and Dion Lee.

Imagery courtesy of Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Photo: Sotha Bourn