Saturday’s National Graduate Showcase presented by Sportsgirl is always one of the most highly anticipated shows of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival Season. Twelve fashion graduates were handpicked from well known fashion institution all over Australia to be part of the LMFF 2013 season. Participating schools included Queensland University of Technology, University of Technology Sydney and of course the ever popular RMIT University in Melbourne.
These graduates put on a show like no other demonstrating the raw talent before consumerism and commercialism inevitably take their hold. Such young talents drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, it was one of the standouts of the LMFF runway series.
Kathleen Choo presented her collection Dimmensionality, illustrating fine technical work with her experimentation of folding fabrics and creating bold and dynamic shapes with sturdier materials. Inspired by folding paper Kathleen’s collection is reminiscent of Ellery, Maticevski and camilla & marc. All design houses that are flourishing in Australia. If these are the footsteps she is to follow in we have ourselves a winner.
Jack Hancock presented a menswear collection experimenting with male form and silhouette. Extremely outrageous however there are some fantastic ideas in here. The mens cape and coat combination mixed with his use of high collars was a standout. Jack’s mind obviously works in a different way, trying to steer away from tradition and create something that hasn’t been seen before. For someone so young trying to alter something as set as high menswear, he has a challenge ahead of him, but I really do look forward to see what he creates in future.
Another highlight of the evening, Natasha Fagg’s runway series blew not just myself away but a number of other fashion insiders viewing the show. Words like “favorite”, “magical” and “absolutely stunning” were all heard in the post show banter. Natasha’s use of intricate beading and embellishment created a collection that (unfortunately) will never see the light of commercial day due to high expense however gives us a fabulous idea of what this girl wants to do. One word. Showstopper.
The Sportsgirl Nation Graduate Showcase is always a highlight of the LMFF and this year it did not disappoint. Congratulations to all the graduates and best of luck for your careers in the fashion industry!
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