Stepping out

Assia Benmedjdoub speaks to a former and current fashion design student from the University of Technology in Sydney about the international TCF industry.

When Alison King - a final year fashion and textile student at the University of Technology in Sydney - timidly asks me to refer to her as "Sonny" throughout our interview, you get the sense that this girl is about as genuine as they come.
Well spoken and hopelessly polite, the young designer even offers to make a frantic dash home during a lunchbreak to send me examples of her latest work. This resolve, she says, comes from her inexorable dedication to what she does.
"Making clothes and putting together outfits has been a constant love of mine. I realise that some people have difficulty deciding on a career avenue but I've never considered anything else, which is either very limited or lucky I suppose."
Lucky, one would vouch, given the success of such a young but already formidable career. Last semester, the student so impressed her tutors that she was offered a unique opportunity to travel and study in London. Comprehensive lessons, informed teachers and more importantly, an insight into the European approach to fashion influenced her remarkably, she says.

"Being able to observe the aesthetic sensibilities in London and other parts of Europe made the whole journey inspirational and invaluable. I had the privilege of being instructed by some internationally renowned artisans."
Ideally, Sonny hopes to pursue a role in international fashion while having some sort of base back home in Australia. Not limiting herself to just fashion design, the student is also considering paths in illustration, trend forecasting, styling or even consulting. And unlike many of her wide-eyed counterparts, Sonny is under no illusions about the industry.
"It's a little daunting to be honest but I'm excited about this year being the culmination of my hard work. I'm looking forward to being able to work on a capsule collection that truly demonstrates where I'm heading in my style of design."


Becky Cooper and Bridget Currer give the expression 'just the two of us' a whole new (and exhausting) meaning. Since launching their label 'bec & bridge' into the Australian market four years ago, the two business partners have literally engineered everything; from co-ordinating design and sample ranges to production management and business development.

Even now, with a nationwide stockist base of 40 boutiques and an invaluable partnership with department store David Jones, the former study buddies aren't drawing any plans for fresh recruits.
"It can be hard to juggle so many things at once," Currer admits. "However it all seems worth it when we see people wearing bec & bridge and when stores call to reorder items that are flying out the door."
First crossing paths at the University of Technology in Sydney in 2000, Cooper and Currer say there was an instant, creative chemistry that drew them together. Only a year after they'd met, the two designers were already spraying, printing, dyeing, stitching and scratching jeans for friends and colleagues.

"We were both interested in fashion from a young age but we had no idea we would end up with our own label," Currer says. "We started it in our second year so I guess we always hoped that we would be able to develop it as a label."
Not quite eyeing the international market just yet, the two say they want to focus on growing the brand at a steady pace here and not saturating the local market.

In the meantime however neither designer is immune to making mistakes ? if anything, both readily condone it.
"There are always going to be things that go wrong but [we] see it as a learning curve. You have to be willing to take advice from other people in the industry but don?t lose heart or take things too seriously."