Assia Benmedjdoub reports on a unique student design brief.
Rubber, latex, neoprene, nylons, drills, eyelets, chains, zippers, studs, nuts and bolts. They're not the sort of fabrics or trimmings one would normally associate with eveningwear; certainly not the kind we've come to expect from the likes of Alex Perry and Jayson Brunsdon.
But they're exactly what 37 final year students from the TAFE NSW Fashion Design Studio were challenged to use for their major haute couture projects. Issued with the theme 'Night Of The Witches' by department head Nicholas Huxley, they presented their finished works at a special reception on the ground floor of Sydney's Strand Arcade.
Judges, which included Marnie Skillings, Genevieve Smart (of womenswear label Ginger & Smart) and Ragtrader editor Tracey McEldowney, said they were "blown away" by the quality of entrants but gave the top gong to Soeli Pedrozo for her origami-inspired design.