The future is bright

Voxfrock rookie journalist Gabriela Caeli Sumampow reports from one of Melbourne Fashion Week‘s most anticipated runways, an underground celebration of this year’s bumper crop of future designers and industry innovators. Photos: Liana Hardy and Naomi Rahim

In the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s underground car park, ground-shaking music accompanies 45 groundbreaking collections by fashion’s designers of the future. Student Collections Runway, styled by Stuart Walford is an inspiring platform for the experiment and self-expression nurtured in five Melbourne fashion schools.

Titled ‘Fragile, Handle with Care’. Trinh Nguyen’s collection juxtaposes long straps of fabric and comfy fits to depict one’s ability to fight despite being tied down. Photo: Liana Hardy

“How good is it to be in the depths of the MCG,” enthuses Lord Mayor Sally Capp, “To witness the heights of fashion creativity from these amazing students who have that unbridled approach to what can be possible…”

She talks about “courage and innovation” and points out the students’ focus on sustainability, their ingenuity with methodologies and materials, their “breathtaking brilliance”.

Inspired by sustainable practices and refashion, Alyse Salib’s ‘Fluid Fragments’ reuses material from local bridal boutiques and warehouses. Photo: Liana Hardy

As the runway show gets underway, fashion’s biggest issues emerge. Alyse Salib of RMIT and Napaorn Suksawatsak of Kangan Institute show environment-inspired collections focussed on sustainable practices.

Anna Barrett’s collection draws inspiration from bondage and corsetry, and is made to empower women to escape their paranoia, insanity, and mental health. Photo: Liana Hardy

Anna Barrett of Box Hill Institute shows a collection revolving around women’s empowerment. Vaishali Madyala of Holmesglen Institute and Emily Quach of RMIT bring elements of gender-neutrality and gender-fluidity to the runway.

Tatenda Serere’s ‘African Twilight’ uses wool to hint at the imposition of colonialism on already rich cultures. Photo: Liana Hardy

Fashion as a storytelling platform is explored by Liana Putri of Box Hill Institute with vintage family photographs and by Tatenda Serere of Holmesglen Institute, Ly Gia Phuc of RMIT and Ruth Hadinjoto of RMIT with evocative cultural symbols.

Said to expose the fascination of couture and Vietnamese 50s-70s streetwear, Ly Gia Phuc’s ‘Hybrid’ includes elements of Vietnamese art. Photo: Liana Hardy

Emily Thomas of RMIT shows a gender-neutral streetwear collection fusing a “mad max genre” and “mother nature”. Trinh Nguyen of the Whitehouse Institute of Design shows a powerful and empowering collection that addresses mental health stigma in Asian communities.

Emily Thomas’ collection brings together retro motorcycle clothing (what was described as a mad max genre) and gear with eco-friendly, recycled materials and natural dyes. Photo: Liana Hardy

Managing editor of Fashion Journal Giulia Brugliera closes the show with the highly covetted MF/W ’21 Student Award for research, innovation and construction judged from four exceptional finalist collections by Aimee Kingsland from Whitehouse Institute of Design, Liana Putri from Box Hill Institute, Lilli McKenzie and Kritikon Khamsawat from RMIT and Qin Wang from Holmesglen Institute.

Left to right; Melbourne Fashion Week 2021’s Student Award finalists: Kritikon Khamsawat, Aimee Kingsland, Qin Wang, Liana Putri, and Lilli McKenzie.
Photo: Naomi Rahim

The winner is Qin Wang, for her collection featuring multiple layers of circular fabric discs assembled to resemble three-dimentional vortexes and described as “appearing to whirl around the body.” Qin wins an internship with Victoria and Woods, membership in the Australian Fashion Council and an opportunity to show in MF/W 2022.