Stepping out
Leaving college is daunting for most students. Jill Pullen talks with a former and current fashion design student from Queensland's University of Technology (QUT) about their plans for the future.
Shilo Englebrecht was unlike any other child at school.
Dubbed a "granny" by her peers, Englebrecht would take her sewing box to lunch and work on her art assignments on the school oval and dream of one day being something great.
While unsure for many years of what she wanted to do when she left school, she knew one thing was certain - that she somehow wanted to communicate her ideas.
"It was always my dream to be many things - a park ranger, artist, actress and archaeologist," she says.
"I've always wanted to communicate ideas and dreams. I used to draw Englebrecht's interest in fashion design began at school when she began manipulating a range of textiles in art class. Currently studying in a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design, it is now Englebrecht's dream to be a successful designer.
During the course of her degree she has completed a range of subjects including advanced textiles and business preparation and has undertaken work experience with two New Zealand apparel companies Zambesi and Nom-D.
Earlier this year Englebrecht took out the Queensland final of the Mercedes-Benz Start Up final, securing her a place in the New Generation showcase at Mercedes Australian Fashion Week (MAFW) in Sydney in April.
Her winning collection, dubbed Map of My Heart, was inspired by her international travels as a youngster, a family map collection, her sea-loving father and her artistic mother and grandmother.
She says she plans to spend the next few months finalising her new collection which has already been sold to Blonde Venus in Fortitude Valley, Queensland, where it will be stocked from March.
She hopes more orders will follow once she showcases her collection at MAFW.
Further down the track Englebrecht also hopes to travel the world in a bid to expand her knowledge and skills base.
"I've always wanted to go to Belgium and meet artists and designers there. I would love to collaborate with these people, including visionaries outside of the fashion industry. I'm intrigued by photography and film and would like to explore these areas."
Since graduating from QUT with a bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design in 2004 Gail Reid has wasted no time in conquering the Australian fashion industry with her Gail Sorronda label.
Having already stitched up lucrative deals with a number of Australian and international stockists in less than one year, Reid freely admits that for a long time she was didn't know what career path to take.
"I studied a year of business, urban and regional town planning, interior design and then finished a degree in fashion design. I didn't know what I wanted to do for a while, but I always remained true to myself and watched it unfold to where I am now."
Reid's rapid succession in the fashion industry commenced when she won the Queensland final of the Mercedes-Benz Start Up program in 2004, which secured her a place at the spring/summer MAFW in Sydney in 2005.
Her participation in the event secured her several high profile accounts with Sydney's The Corner Store, Figure 8 in Melbourne and Antipodium and We-of-the-never-never in London.
"I had a number of other stores approach me with the view to stocking my label but I decided that I wanted to keep production small so I could learn and monitor the process on a level that was manageable given my lack of finance and experience," says Reid.
Additional stockists currently include Lonely Hearts Club in New Zealand and Blonde Venus in Brisbane.
Reid's latest womenswear collection features a range of silk velvet, silk jersey, silk taffeta and silk georgette.
"I don't know how to articulate my style as yet - it is still developing. I generally design with opposition in mind. I am inspired by the dark side and the light side."
Her long term goals are to further expand her business from season to season and travel the world to learn about new mediums and cultures.
"It's an all-consuming, inter-related, self-directed sphere of which I am my very own apprentice. I am running towards a long term goal of securing a viable business, however it is happening faster than I thought it would."
And her advice to other student designers looking to crack the national and international fashion scene?
"Have faith, passion and persistence."