Fashion Awards
This year is the fifth year that St Albans SC has won the schools division of the Fashion Awards Australia competition. In the award's 16 year history, we are the first school to have won five times. Ballarat Grammar is our nearest rival with four wins to their credit.
For the next year we will be the caretakers of the John Claringbold Perpetual Trophy. John Claringbold and design partner Ross Weymouth pioneered contemporary fashion in Melbourne. 200 of their garments were bequeathed to the Griffith Regional Art Gallery. Their work is also in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Gallery ACT.
Fashion Awards Australia was conceived by Heather Marcus, the Mayor of Wyndham, as a way of encouraging students to pursue a career in the fashion industry. This year approximately 200 entries were judged and paraded. They included several entries from South Australia and Western Australia, as well as regular entrants from Victoria and New South Whales.
Our designers supervised their models’ hair and makeup from 8:15 am through to 10:45 pm when our last entry was paraded on the runway. The evening runway was the most exciting part of the event, as student designers saw their creations paraded on a professional runway. No expense was spared in the staging of the parade. All the excitement, glamour, sound and lighting of the Melbourne fashion week is lavished on the student designers.
This year our students won many individual trophies. In the winner’s circle First Place recipients were year 12 My Nguyen and Casey Quach, from year year 10 Anh ?
Our runners up, second and third prizes recipient included Year 12 Simone Truong, year 10 Carla McGuire.
As all the designers and models know, it is all about team work, every one working together and helping each other to be the best that they can possibly be on the night.
Mr D'Aglas
Arts Coordinator
A Students Percpective
My experience at the Fashion Awards Australia was extremely enlightening and I would not be able to experience this without the help of my Studio Arts teacher, Mr Michael Bowden. It was a very long process in making my garment for the category ‘Costume Fantasy’. Without the help of my teacher, I highly doubt I would have been finished in time, let alone have entered the contest. He encouraged me greatly to be the best that I could be and achieve the goal of winning first place.
On the night, the amount of students crammed into a small room, repeatedly changing, caught me off guard. I knew it would be very chaotic however I was not ready for that experience. Although it was quite busy, it was exciting and practically gave me an adrenaline rush. The fast pace action of quick changes was surprising as well as tormenting, as five other girls had to help undress you and throw another garment on. As we were patiently anticipating the walk down the stairs and onto the runway, it had caused nervousness; but once being on the catwalk, confidence had overwhelmed me.
The models that were finalists were ushered into the marshalling area. I was clueless of the positioning of the winners and once again walking down to the runway, I heard Heather Marcus announce the awards and my heart stopped when I had won. At the very end of the catwalk, posing between two other girls, it was definitely a moment I will never forget.
Report By Casey Quach - Year 12C