Cream of the crop

Students from Australia's top fashion colleges will go head to head in a new competition being staged as part of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival in Brisbane next month.

A total of 12 finalists have been selected from six colleges in an attempt to be named the Student Graduate of the Year. Created by festival director Lindsay Bennett in an attempt to reward and promote students who consistently create exceptional designs, the finalists will take to the runway on August 28 to showcase their collections with the winner named at its conclusion.

Judges for the event, the second annual, include David Jones womenswear buying general manager David Bush, Brisbane couture designer Paul Hunt and Ragtrader editor Tracey Porter.