Crocodile and kangaroo leather shoes, Indigenous art to wear, and "candy-coated creepy" clothes. Yes, QUT's School of Fashion is set to unleash its latest dazzling collection: the class of 2012! on November 21 and 22.
Standby for Chaos and Control, the annual Fashion Grad Show at QUT's Kelvin Grove campus attended by buyers, and fashion talent spotters not to mention proud family and friends of the latest batch of afashionados.
Twenty graduates will show six pieces from their final-year collections at the professionally mounted show which this year showcases the work of five students who have collaborated with Indigenous artists to develop the fashion collection, AKIN, at the 5pm show on Wednesday, November 21.
QUT fashion industry lecturer Kay McMahon said the AKIN collection was truly unique.
"AKIN places the fashion designers and Indigenous artists in an equal design partnership to develop the styles," Ms McMahon said of the project, funded by QUT Creative Enterprise Australia and Arts Queensland.
"The project aims to raise the profile of all the artists and designers involved and promote positive creative partnerships between Indigenous artists and the fashion industry."
"Chaos and Control is a design journey demonstrating that innovative fashion has no boundaries," QUT fashion design lecturer Jane Morley said.
"It's an exciting round-up and display of all the cutting-edge paths our students are taking.
"Their collections showcase fresh approaches to digital printing and laser cutting technology on materials like neoprene and latex.
"There are ethical collections that use fashion for social engagement, and design-driven reinventions of high performance surfwear, sports luxe and ready-to-wear. The students all have their own style but are united in their desire to push the boundaries of contemporary fashion design."
Chaos and Control will show both women's wear and fashion-forward men's wear and features avant garde accessory collections including Georgia Grainger's laser-cut perspex jewellery, leather bags from Austin Moro and Hayley Elsaesser, and Isabelle McGreevy's Sole Project - ethically sourced and locally made shoes from kangaroo and crocodile leather embellished with opals and copper.
"Some of our students have had 'past lives' in other careers and use it to inspire their fashion," Ms Morley said.
"Shea Cameron is a qualified optometrist whose collection features prints developed from medical imagery, and Skye Kerr used to work as a flight attendant for the royal family in Dubai. Skye now designs ready-to-wear and evening wear collections for both Muslim and Western women - including abayas designed as evening dresses with global appeal."
Ms McMahon said many of the designers in the graduate show had already started their own labels and had stocked their collections in QUT Fleet Store and other stores.
Designers in Chaos and Control include:
Hayley Elsaesser and her Candy-coated Voodoo collection: "I explored a world of all things creepy and spooky, yet gave it a sickly sweet twist. Embracing my love of the wicked and weird I developed numerous textile prints, along with laser cut leather details to produce a colourful and quirky collection. I love the juxtaposition of something that would normally be considered scary, such as spiders and skulls, done in a candy coated colour scheme yielding something that is fun, and a little bit crazy."
Austin Moro and his collection Calypso: "My collection plucks random ideas from the past and delivers them in a romantic and innocent way. I was inspired by The Life Aquatic, Bananas in Pyjamas, André Courrèges, and images of masculinity and seaside life from the 1960s. In fact, I wanted to look back solely at the 60s and take only the sweet things. We live in an imperfect world, but we don't necessarily have to dress with that in mind. The overall effect is rather odd, but creates a world that empathises with people that do not fit into our own."
Isabelle McGreevy and The Sole Project: "The focus of The Sole Project was to design a capsule collection of footwear to be made in Brisbane using 100 per cent local labour and 100 per cent local materials. The shoes take inspiration from the concept of an Australian identity and classic footwear silhouettes. All components are locally sourced and most are unique to Queensland.
Materials used include crocodile and kangaroo leather, Queensland boulder opals, recycled copper and sterling silver. The designs are uniquely Australian, practical but, at the same time, luxurious. I have worked exclusively with a young apprentice from a Brisbane-based shoe making studio to produce the current range of samples. This unique studio was recently established by a father-son duo with support from the Queensland Government. It is currently the only shoe-making studio in Brisbane with a particular emphasis on supporting unemployed youth. The studio shares my interest in reviving traditions, utilising natural materials, a 'handmade' ethos and community involvement."
High res images can be downloaded here.
Related articles:
Indigenous artists take on high fashion
Hot house for fashion talent at QUT bears fruit
Not a scrap of unused fabric in clever zero-waste collection
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, 3138 2999 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
