Creative Opportunities

The new Bachelor of Creative Arts – recently introduced in partnership between TAFE SA and Flinders University – presents exciting new higher education opportunities for SA’s dancers, artists and fashion designers.

Helen Jansson, Principal Lecturer of fashion, costume and footwear at TAFE SA, describes how the bachelor degree has been a focus of the TAFE SA fashion program for a number of years. “While we have a course with a great reputation and terrific job outcomes, we have often seen students move interstate to gain a degree qualification. The degree will take the strong practical skills of TAFE and combine with excellent and interesting academic options from Flinders such as event management and cultural and societal topics.”

2014 will see 22 students graduating from the Advanced Diploma course with some continuing their studies in the bachelor degree. The students will be presenting their final collections in a parade held in Light Square on Friday, December 5. Jansson explains the move away from the Adelaide Fashion Festival [AFF].

“We joined with AFF several years ago and moved the parade to October which is a better time for a fashion festival and fashion retail promotions. Prior to this we had always held our graduate parade in late November/early December, as this was the most appropriate time for students to complete work. Now that the festival is so successful and goes from strength to strength each year, we felt it was time to again create a stand-alone graduate event that worked with our academic calendar. We will still have a presence at this year’s festival, showing some of the earlier work of the graduating students.”

This year the graduate parade will be held in a marquee in Light Square in conjunction with the Adelaide College of the Arts’ annual Arts Bazaar, held in the Adelaide College of the Arts building and the grounds in front. Jansson adds, “We’re also hoping to involve local traders and we have the support of Adelaide City Council and the Adelaide West End Association to hold an event highlighting the Light Square area.”

As for the class of 2014, Jansson describes the graduates as quite an eclectic group. “The students’ skill level in garment and pattern construction is very high, with several already being recognised in awards throughout the year. Previous years have seen quite a bit of focus on street wear and youth but this year tends to have a more sophisticated vibe with a range of garments from day wear through to evening wear.”

For three of the 23 students – Elise Musolino, Kelsey Sandercock and Shannon Harding – their inspirations are vastly different, ranging from architecture to the traditional characters found in carnivals.

Elise Musolino explains that the idea behind her collection came from The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. “It explores the idea that the surroundings we live in can impact heavily on our overall happiness – the suburb in which we live and the house we call home. Or as I interpreted it, the clothing which we wear.”

This idea will translate to a transeasonal women’s street wear range entitled Vine Society. For Kelsey Sandercock, choosing an allwhite colour palette was important to focus on the textural elements of fabric manipulation.

“My collection is very structured and detailed. Inspiration comes from strong architectural silhouettes and eye-catching textural surfaces. Dion Lee and Alexander Wang are a huge influence on my design aesthetic,” she says.

Shannon Harding describes her carnival-inspired collection as one for women looking for pieces that allow them to have fun and embrace their own personal style. “The night of the parade will hopefully keep the audience guessing as to which character will be coming down the runway next, but ultimately I just want the audience to sit back and enjoy the show, with smiles on their faces.”

Tickets will be on sale from Monday, October 20 and Jansson says to expect some surprises. “While many students have taken a classic approach, you may just see a couple of students blur the boundaries between fashion and costume,” she says.

Tickets are available from Monday, October 20 through the Adelaide College of the Arts and TAFE SA or by phone 8207 8522