The Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Future Runway gave secondary school students from all around Australia a chance to shine, and its charmingly youthful feel can only be accredited to the young designers featured in the show.
As models bounded down the runway smiling, they showed off the works of some of the country’s best new emerging talent. One set of models even got so carried away that they walked straight off the runway and out the door- much to the amusement of everyone in the crowd.
Yet despite the light hearted tone of the show, the craftsmanship behind each design was no laughing matter. Although each student could only show off a couple of pieces of his or her work it was clear that there was real passion and drive behind the garments displayed on the catwalk.
Perhaps it was the result of inexperience or simply the lightness of youth but the designers in the show appeared to be less constrained by the dictums of fashion and style. As a result, the designs showcased during the course of the evening were surprising and avant-garde, untouched by the confines that fashion history tends to place on designers and their creativity.
Ranging from bizarre to beautiful, each mini-collection was impressively executed by the student designer with a clear and innovative thought process behind it.
One of the best features of the show was the diversity and experimentation apparent in the clothing. And whilst some items appeared to the audience less than wearable, there were most certainly some diamonds in the rough, just waiting for a bit of polish so that they can truly shine.
The Fashion Advocate x
