Stepping out
Assia Benmedjdoub speaks to a former and current fashion design student from Kangan Bateman TAFE about encouraging the growth of Australian fashion and design.
Weaving her way into the medallion prize for 'evening and active wear' at the 2006 Australian Wool Fashion Awards, Tracy Osborne reckons she knows a thing or two about the nation's most exported fabric.
Currently in her third year of an Advanced Diploma in Textiles, Clothing and Footwear at Kangan Batman TAFE, Osborne's designs have already earned her a scholarship to study at the Istituto of Marangoni in Milan and an entry into the Wagga Wagga Wool Awards.
"To say I enjoy every minute is an understatement, it is incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. Because I live in the country I know how hard Australian farmers work so I've decided to dedicate my designs to using top quality Australian wool," she says. "Hopefully, this will help the future of Australian sheep farmers."
True to her word, Osborne sources her materials from Australia's Wool Mark Company and manipulates them into a series of day and evening wear pieces for women. Her prize-winning entry into the 2005 Sheephaven's Australasian Young Designers Award included a woven evening dress, a tennis dress, shorts and a red swing top made from 100 per cent wool.
"I instantly fell in love with this fabric and wanted to know how far I could push it. I ended up winning the evening wear and active wear categories and the Handbury trophy which was a scholarship to study at the Istituto of Marangoni in Milan in July. I couldn't believe it, I've never been overseas."
Initially enrolling in a secretarial/business degree, Osborne says she decided to pursue a textile diploma after purchasing her first sewing machine several years ago.
"I started to sew maternity wear for myself and once the children arrived, I started sewing for them. I loved making my own designs and seeing my girls in them. Well as time advanced so did my passion for sewing and designing. After doing every hobby course I could find I decided it was time to obtain some professional training which led me to the current course I am doing."
Crediting much of her success to her studies at TAFE, Osborne says the combination of technical, creative and business subjects ensures students get a well rounded perspective of the industry.
"All staff have held positions in the rag trade and have incredible knowledge and expertise in their field. Some of our teachers are still active in industry and run their own successful businesses and this keeps us up to date with what industry is doing now. If you love sewing, patternmaking, design and anything to do with production of clothing or accessories I would urge you to enrol now and live your dream."
Since graduating with an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design from Kangan Batman TAFE in 2004, Ara Dolation says he's learned to marry the virtues of fine tailoring with modern street style.
Already operating his own menswear boutique and label - Dolation - in Melbourne, the budding designer says his brand has been shaped by years of technical and creative training.
"My diploma covered all the main subjects that you need in the industry to start you off, and it has great experienced industry teachers. We spent a lot of time on product development, from designing a collection and choosing the right fabric to pattern making, sampling the product and then grading the collection. This really helped in the beginning when I had to do a few showings to the buyers."
"I also did a small business management course and that taught me how to recognise my clients and build a suitable business plan."
While the course also includes subjects such as sewing, patternmaking and production management, Ara says the four-week experience program gives students a distinctive edge.
"During the work experience I got a real idea of what happens behind the scenes. I had to do some pattern making, cutting, sampling, warehouse stock control and joining a few designers during fabric buying and product development for their new collection. This led to some more summer work with Rich and Glen Rollason which was pretty great."
Pooling together his portfolio of work with his technical training, Dolation decided to launch his label after completing his diploma in 2004. Featuring fine tailored suits, slim line pants and deconstructed fitted shirts, the current collection caters for upmarket consumers looking for "clean lines and cutting edge style".
"In my first attempt, I sold 50 shirts which was pretty exciting at the time. Then the collections and orders started to increase and that helped me build the business slowly while I worked at nights to increase the capital for it. Eventually, I had around 20 accounts in total before I opened up the store. Now it's exclusive and only available from my store."