2015 TAFE SA Fashion Graduate Parade

Helen Jansson, Principal Lecturer of Fashion, Costume and Footwear at TAFE SA has chosen the theme for this year – Gossamer. As she explains, “ This year I’m taking more from the spider’s web de finition of gossamer – with intermingling of ideas and themes to create a web of creative display”. “This year, the parade will feature 11 students, with some originating from Sudan, Serbia, Iran, Brazil and China. Five of the students are finalists of the Premier’s Design Award, part of the Adelaide Fashion Festival. “We only have 11 graduates this year, as many have chosen to transfer across to the Bachelor of Creative Arts that graduates next year – it’s an eclectic group,” Jansson says. TAFE SA continues to partner with Flinders University on the Bachelor of Creative Arts (Fashion) degree but next year will be offering an Advanced Diploma of Fashion and Textile Merchandising, and will include skills such as styling, buying, marketing, visual merchandising and product development – the course will have a different focus with less emphasis on pattern and garments. “We’re hoping within a few short years we will be seeing highly skilled and very creative graduates being launched in a growing Adelaide jobs market but also interstate, and this new qualification will cover the gap between fashion retail and fashion design, looking more at the business of fashion.” With the 2015 TAFE SA graduate parade only a few weeks away, three students – Coco Liu, Petar Prodanovic and Sophia McMahon – are putting final touches on their graduate collections.

COCO LIU

Taking inspiration from fabrics, Liu’s collection, entitled 1%, uses unique, playful and eye-catching fabrics, including lambskins and jacquards, that give the whole collection a strong theme. “ The jacquard fabric I’m using always reminds me of two cities that I grew up – Shanghai and Beijing, the rows after rows of squares are similar to the skyscraper windows. They were all around me at the time, now I do feel like I miss them a lot.” Liu will be presenting both men’s and women’s wear in the collection. “I love to mix and match, and always play around with di fferent styles. is time I am challenging myself with combining traditional tailoring and street style together.” “ This year’s class is diverse. My background is Chinese, and there are students from Iran, Brazil, Egypt and Serbia, almost covering all the continents, which is great. Of course, each student has their own aesthetic and understanding of fashion, which probably will be in fluenced by their own culture.” @yuke_luke

PETAR PRODANOVIC

Already making waves in the industry with his first place win in the evening wear category at Australasian Young Designer Wool Awards in Hamilton, Victoria, Petar Prodanovic will feature women’s formal wear with his graduate collection entitled Departure. “The inspiration for my collection was drawn from personal experiences and dealing with grief,” Prodanovic says. “In a way, my collection became part of the healing process.” Drawing inspiration from the art world, Prodanovic admires designers Raf Simons and Toni Maticevski. “In recent years, I have really loved everything that Raf Simons has done for Dior and the way he’s rebranded them. On the Australian front, I love the work of Toni Maticevski and Kym Ellery, they are both leaving a big mark on an international scene.” petarprodanovic.com @petar_in_disguise

SOPHIA MCMAHON

Recently announced as a finalist in the Premier’s Design Challenge as part of the Adelaide Fashion Festival, Sophia McMahon is presenting The Ephemeral, a collection focusing on contrasts between strong and soft, curve and line, delicate and tough. The collection will see McMahon’s aesthetic extend from the minimal and involve intricate construction using fabric with high impact. “This collection features special, one-off womenswear pieces that stray a little from the norm,” she says. “I have really relished the opportunity to generate these designs from a purely creative perspective. I found inspiration in nature, religion, architecture and many forms of design.” “I am really excited to see everyone’s collections take shape – they are all very di fferent from each other, which I think is wonderful. It will make for an engaging parade.” atlasthelabel.com facebook.com/atlasthelabel @atlasthelabel The 2015 TAFE SA Fashion Graduate Parade will be held at the Freemasons Hall from 7pm on Friday, November 27. Tickets will go on sale week of October 12 and are available from TAFE SA Fashion reception for $40. tafesa.edu.au/fashion-design