Earlier this week, final year designer students from the Fashion Design Studio, Sydney TAFE, showcased their works and an array of complex fashion techniques at the institute's annual eveningwear parade.
The event, held on Wednesday night at the iconic Strand Arcade in Sydney, saw the third year design students create intricate pieces inspired by The Art of Gustav Klimt, with Inderpreet Dhillon winning first place.
The creations were judged by a panel of prominent fashion figures including: 2011 Project Runway winner Dylan Cooper, designer Ainsley Hansen of local label Hansel & Gretel, The Sunday Telegraph’s Fashion commentator Elle Halliwell, international model Cheyenne Tozzi, and event sponsor CBN Media’s Charlie Brown.
The winner, Inderpreet Dhillon, was praised by the judging panel for her ability to take current trends and incorporate them into the brief to create a sophisticated, on-trend garment.
Commenting on the designs on behalf of the judging panel, Fashion Design Studio alumni Cooper said the calibre of work from the students was “unbelievable”.
“As a third year student, you are given a license to be creative with the evening-wear assignment. The inspiration of Klimt’s paintings was reflected in such a diverse way, which really celebrated the beauty of design and how everyone can interpret things differently,” he said.
“While all of the gowns were stunning, Inderpreet’s piece was beautiful in an industrial and modern way, which made it really unique. It was reflective of a big movement in the fashion industry towards armour and making use of non-traditional materials.
“Inderpreet’s use of Glomesh and metal, which are extremely difficult materials to work with, within her gown, also not only showed a high level of creativity but also the patience and time she put towards her final masterpiece.”
Fellow students Camile Dela Paz and Ying Yuan were awarded second and third place, respectively, with Shannon Carmody, Paul Scott, Leroy Nguyen and Elissa McGown all highly commended by the judging panel.
To view photos from the event, head to ragtrader.com.au's Facebook page.