Trip to Sydney
Fashion Department excursion to Sydney
On Wednesday 22 September 2010 all IDU students boarded a bus, destination Sydney! It would be a day to remember with design implications that would reach long into our futures!
Fashion Design:
In order to set the tone for the next project ‘Contemporary Fashion Design’, head of the fashion design department, Peter Dwyer, contacted his friends in Sydney and organized an inspirational excursion. The following is an account of the events of the day by Ashleigh Drekovic our newly appointed fashion department Press officer.
Story by Ashleigh Drekovic
ASSIN: T2 on Verona street Paddington
The morning saw us treated to the well-acclaimed boutique, Assin. Assin carries garments that challenge the common form of pattern making, construction and fabric uses. Often these garments are imported from well know international designers and the juxtaposed of clothing concepts saw students overwhelmed with inspiration.
The staff were highly professional and more than willing to share their depth of knowledge; from designer’s journeys, design concepts, to the products stance in national and international markets.
” The assistance of the Assin staff was incredibly informative. Each of them were incredibly knowledgeable and I found this background information nearly as inspirational as the clothes” – Jessica Burns (Fashion student)
Valerie Tolosa; 208 Oxford Street Paddington
We were then introduced to the inspirational Valerie Tolosa, who shared with us her success story and journey in to the fashion world. Valerie’s love for vintage fashion was reflected in her feminine shop, filled with garments detailed with romantic laces and cinched waist lines. The shop was refreshing (and still smelt of fresh paint!) and gave us students hope that anything could be achieved with passion and dedication.
“Gorgeous clothing. By far my favorite store, and exactly where I want to be in 5 years.” – Alice Knight (fashion Student).
Alistair Trung: 445 Oxford Street paddington
“For me, everything starts and ends with the body. Nothing should interfere with its’ movement and its’ ability to express sensuality.”- Alistair Trung.
Alistair Trung is a contemporary designer, who stressed the necessity for us as aspiring designers to stay true to who we are, and most importantly, not to get caught up in the overwhelming commercialism of the fashion industry. He asked us to look beyond the conservative and conventional approach to fashion design and to consider the body! His creations were amazing. So simple, yet so much thought embedded in to each individual piece. What an inspiration!
“I found Alistair very empowering and inspiring!”- Kiera Duffy (Fashion Student)
” Alistair Trung challenged our interpretation of fashion and pushed us to experiment and explore.” – Josephine Owens (Fashion Student)
After the inspirational boutique visits, we were then pumped to source fabrics!
Montgomery Fashion Group: 3/10 Bradford Street Alexandria
Montgomery Fashion Group welcomed the IDU students with open arms yet again. They impressed us with their preparation in order to help us identify fabrics for our next major work! They had the appropriate fabrics laid out ready for us along with sample leaflets, ready to take home. Most importantly , they extended the offer to post the fabrics we order straight to the institute in Ulladulla.
“Extremely prepared, welcoming & helpful!”- Kiera Duffy(Fashion Student)
“Gorgeous fabrics!” – Jodie So (Fashion Student)
Remnant Warehouse: 494 Botany Rd Alexandria
The Remnant Warehouse was the perfect wind down to a day well spent in Sydney. Students looked amazed by the amount of fabrics, trims and embellishments they saw before them. “This is fabric heaven” exclaimed Joanne Borgatti (Fashion production lecturer), while Sharee Gray also admitted it was her “fabric shopping dream!”
Inspiration was the word! And that it was. What a great day!