Emerging designers on show at Melbourne Fashion Week

Emerging designers on show at Melbourne Fashion Week

Twenty fashion and textiles students have concluded their studies by exhibiting work at Melbourne Fashion Week, a celebration of the city’s vibrant and diverse fashion community.

Having spent the past four years exploring and refining their artistic vision and design practice, graduating RMIT fashion students this week shared their designs with the public as part of the Melbourne Fashion Week (MFW) Student Collections Runway.

Among the garments displayed were those by honours students Michael De Souza and Yiwei Ju.

14 October 2022

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Student designs came down the runway at Melbourne's heritage Meat Market building. Student designs came down the runway at Melbourne's heritage Meat Market building.

Informed by his previous work as a teacher in a multicultural private school setting, De Souza’s collection, titled ‘Integration Through Dress’, explores the positive capacity of uniforms to assist individuals in assimilating with new communities.  

“I always thought that uniforms have the ability to assist integration,” he said.  

The garments, inspired by various settings where uniforms are required, reflect a range of traditional cultural, religious and work attires.  

De Souza is one of two RMIT finalists for the student award at MFW and reflecting on what it means to showcase his work, he said he was proud of his achievements. 

“Studying fashion can be pretty gruelling. It’s definitely a proud moment for myself.”

Michael De Souza’s collection ‘Integration Through Dress’. Models wear formal looking attire with floral patterns and muted tones. Michael De Souza’s collection ‘Integration Through Dress’. Models wear formal looking attire with floral patterns and muted tones.

Upon commencing his studies, Desouza had no experience in the fashion industry and felt fortunate to be embraced by the Bachelor of Design (Fashion) program, its faculty and student cohort. 

“Fashion can be quite a lonely journey in a sense, you’re working till the late morning, just grinding, but even this fourth year there is a lot of collaboration, a lot of discussion, a lot of support and a lot of direction. My experience here has been quite amazing.”

De Souza said he is graduating feeling fresh and equipped to enter the fashion industry and hopes to gain opportunities in a variety of diverse professional areas.  

Various pre-production sketches of Yiwei Ju’s collection ‘Portable Space’ alongside two of her final pieces. Various pre-production sketches of Yiwei Ju’s collection ‘Portable Space’ alongside two of her final pieces.

Honours student Ju also sent her collection ‘Portable Space’, a selection of pieces with dramatic shapes and bold colours, down the runway on Thursday. 

Inspired by a post-production image created during earlier study, her work aims to use the interaction between body and dress to create a space.

During the production process Ju designed shapes using the 3D modelling software Cinema 4D. She then translated these digital objects into physical garments using metal bonding underneath patterns. 

“I’m pretty excited because this is my first time showing my works to the public. I didn't imagine I could make this type of collection when I first began studying," she said. 

Ju said the support of her teacher helped her develop her practice and reach her potential. She intends to continue her learning experience at RMIT, having enrolled in the Masters of Fashion (Design) course. 

Read about all the RMIT students involved in the 2022 Melbourne Fashion Week Student Collections Runway.

 

Story: Seamus Daniel

14 October 2022

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