It’s a no holds barred experience, a chance for young designers to take an idea, see it to fruition and use the best materials in the process. They don’t have to worry about making it commercially viable, nor do they have to make concessions. This is fashion at its purest.
Welcome to the Student Runways to the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.
The students know they might not be headline acts, but their lines can sometimes be more impressive than the household names they look up to.
Taking my seat in the Melbourne Town Hall, you can easily see the crowd is filled with well wishers and family members. Even the media cohort is more relaxed, giving the pre-show a positive, excited atmosphere. Alongside a fashionista with a neon coloured jumpsuit and novelty pineapple earrings sits a dad in his plain grey suit, looking around nervously and feeling a little underdressed.
Besides me sits a young high school student, keen to become a roving fashion reporter. This isn’t your typical runway.
As the lights dim, and the promotional video starts, you understand the theme is all about excess, something a little detached from the rest of the world.
For the first time, the Melbourne fashion world has opened up the student runway to all fashion courses, not just to RMIT fashion students. More than 28 students were hand picked from the Melbourne School of Fashion, Kangan Institute, Box Hill Institute, Whitehorse Institute of Design in Australia to present three pieces each, with many taking the opportunity to include male and female lines.
As the first model walked down the runway in what could only be described as a lampshade skirt, you can understand how free the design brief is. You’re not looking for the season’s trends but rather in what unique way students use fabric and colours to express their inspiration.
For Greek Australian fashion student, Harry Katakouzinos, his inspiration came for nature.
“My inspiration is called faceted, it’s the inside of a crystal, so all the triangles and the different shapes that the crystal’s got inside,” he tells Neos Kosmos.
His three designs utilised a unique palette of materials; leather, mesh and cloth, all to mimic the way light plays with shape. Vibrant blues, purples and pinks stood out against non-intrusive blacks, while edgy silvers in geometric shapes pushed the boundaries.
Harry was one of seven chosen by the Kangan Institute to present his wares, and says being given the honour gives credence to what he hopes will become a successful career in the fashion industry.
“I’ve always been obsessed with fashion, it’s all I even know, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” he says.
He considers fashion greats like Christian Louboutin, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana as role models thanks to their ability to step outside the box.
“I’m more quirky, edgy,” he says with a laugh.
After he finishes his degree, the 21-year-old wants to walk in the footsteps of Louboutin and complete a shoe design course. Already his use of leather will stand him in good stead to switch to shoes.
His line surprisingly didn’t feature a mens collection, but Harry is keen to get started on one.
“I want to wear my own designs,” he rationalises.
His pieces did stand out from the other designers, when many tended to avoid using strong colours.
As each line came down the runway, it was getting hard to differentiate from the sea of cream and white and from the flowing silks but each line had distinct characteristics.
Attention to detail was key and you could see it in strong embroidery, the use of handmade accessories and quirky add ons.
The dinosaur inspired claws and teeth by Katrina McDonald from the Whitehouse Institute of Design made a big impact, with purple leather and fur giving off a fantastic animalistic hue.
Leather face masks and an S&M theme in Cin Davies’ line from the Melbourne School of Fashion pushed the boundaries but made such an impact. The most avant-garde piece went to Neville Antoinette who baffled people with large headpieces draped in sheer silk, and black visible hoops around a skirt.
The designers who were bold enough to make mens collections never seemed to hit the mark, more often than not their womens line would steal the show.
But, as the curtain fell, the cheer from the crowd summed up the performance. These aren’t students, they are just fashion designers with training wheels.