The work of 10 QUT fashion students was included in a glittering line up showcased at the Brisbane Fashion Festival this week in King George Square.
Their collections were featured as part of the Hancock Prospecting Next Gen Group Show which gives a platform to the future of fashion from emerging labels along with students from the Queensland’s top fashion colleges.
Fashion lecturer Icaro Ibanez Arricivita from the QUT School of Design said the QUT students dazzled the audience with their fresh approach and imaginative creations.
“Being part of the Next Gen Group Show was an extraordinary experience for our QUT students, and an opportunity for them to get noticed as they prepare to embark on their careers in fashion,” Mr Arricivita said.
“The Next Gen show is always a highlight of the Brisbane Fashion Festival, with the organisers promoting it as consistently providing some of the most impressive visuals, uncompromising aesthetics, and fashion collections with a message. Sustainability, gender fluidity and neutrality, diversity, and fashion inclusivity for all, for example.”
The 10 QUT students with collections featured in the show were: Tori Stielow; Anna Winks; Sophie Kearns; Adhiti Gobindnarain; Simran Mackrani; Ava Percival; Saskia MacMillan; Yixin Chang; Fa Kai Lo; and Lili Doran
“It was the ultimate in real-world learning, with their future pathways made clear by the inclusion of a number of QUT alumni making their mark - Grace Louie (Fell from Grace), Joash Teo (Jotéo), Kristian Willims (Kristian Williams The Brand), Alexandr Murray, and Lucy Haks (HAKS),” Mr Arricivita said.
“Other highlights of the show were the diverse and creative visions of Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, Swimb/are, Natalie Hamblin Couture, TAFE Queensland Brisbane, Ruya, Forty-Love, Kinder.Label, and ASTERIA.”
Brisbane Fashion Festival Director Lindsay Bennett said supporting the next generation of Queensland fashion had always been incredibly important to him and to Brisbane Fashion Festival.
“Through our longstanding relationship with QUT, the Hancock Prospecting Next Generation Runway gives emerging designers the opportunity to showcase their work on a major runway, live streamed globally, and gain invaluable exposure to industry and audiences,” Mr Bennett said.
“After 21 years, I’m incredibly proud that Brisbane Fashion Festival isn’t just celebrating where our industry has been but actively investing in where it is going next. The talent coming through QUT and our wider emerging design community brings fresh energy, perspective and fearlessness to the runway.
“Giving these designers a platform to help shape the next stitch into their careers is vital to the future of Queensland fashion. It’s about creating opportunities, opening doors and ensuring our industry continues to grow locally.”
The Brisbane Fashion Festival also features the Gulbuuygu: Hope Vale X QUT Fashion exhibition at the QUT Art Museum as part of its Off the Runway program.
The exhibition celebrates a collaboration that began in 2018. Taking its name from the Guugu Yimithirr word meaning together, it showcases garments and textiles developed through the partnership, alongside works on paper that reveal the initial designs underpinning them.
Main image: (left-right – designs by QUT fashion students Lili Doran, Anna Winks, and Tori Stielow showcased at the Brisbane Fashion Festival. Photo: Richard Smith.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver
QUT Media
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