Meet the Designer – Banyule Nillumbik Tech School

On Thursday, the 20th of August, a group of Year 9 Viewbank students from both Semester One Fashion and Semester Two Fashion had the exciting opportunity to participate in Meet the Designer at Banyule Nillumbik Tech School. Alongside students from other selected schools, they worked with three industry designers and gained valuable insights into their professions, creative inspirations and backgrounds.

The three featured designers were Anzara Clarke, Nat Verrocchi and Simone Agius, each bringing a unique perspective and area of expertise within the fashion and design industries.

Anzara Clarke explores the traditional Korean art of Joomchi and the traditional Japanese art of Momigami, both of which transform paper into textile-like materials. Her innovative paper textiles have been featured in real runway events.

Nat Verrocchi is a Circular Fashion Designer with a strong focus on sustainable fashion. She explores innovative technologies, including 3D printing to createjewellery and laser cutting fabric to produce unique embroidery pieces.

Simone Agius is a Leather Atelier, specialising in creating bags, wallets and a range of other handcrafted leather goods.

Our students worked closely with Anzara Clarke and Nat Verrocchi, participating in hands-on workshops. With Anzara, students learnt how to transform paper into textile-like materials, while with Nat, they explored hand and machine embroidery techniques and created their own textile products.

All students thoroughly enjoyed the event and found the experience highly worthwhile. They gained valuable new skills, explored innovative design practices and developed a greater understanding of potential pathways within the fashion and design industries. They were also excited to share their newly developed skills and knowledge with their classmates back at school.

Natalie Conti