ECLECTICISM The practice of deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
The 2021 Fashion Graduates of Curtin University would like to pay our respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the Wadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we learn, create, and come together.
a message from
EMILY WILLS The past two years have seen seismic shifts in how fashion is designed, produced, distributed, and consumed. Coronavirus has expedited the evolving relationship between fashion and technology, with digital modes of fashion presentation and digital design becoming the new normal. The graduating cohort of 2021 have continued to examine and challenge their identity and industry positioning within the ever-shifting cultural context of fashion. With disruption comes creativity, adaptability, and innovation. This new age of fashion encourages interprofessional collaboration and interdisciplinary practice. Eclecticism — the event and exhibition — proposes that the future of fashion is increasingly digital, and the format of fashion film will remain a popular format for designers to present their work on the body, for a global audience. Designers have collaborated with local videographers and photographers to incorporate visual storytelling to communicate concepts and ideas which straddle conceptual and commercial fashion. Acting Fashion Major Coordinator
To watch the 2021 Curtin Fashion Graduate fashion films go to www.curtin.fashion
EPICENE Ella Teixeira | 8
ÙR ERRACHT Abbie Cameron | 10
YIN YANG Xiaotong Li (Ivy) | 12
INTERRUPTED TACTILITY Isabella Gervo | 14
PERSEPHONE Cassidy Dennis | 16
SWEET BOTANICA Lok-Ching Yuen | 18
SELF Sally Catto | 20
RENAISSANCE REIMAGINED Kwun Fai Joshua Lau | 22
VULVA Madelyn Jane Sumner | 24
REINSTATED OPULENCE Hayley Henheffer | 26
MODULAIRE Sophie Ann Brown | 28
CORAL BLEACHING Ningxin Zeng (Krystal) | 30
ENDURING ARCHETYPES Lily Cribb | 32
POWER HAUS Talisha Jamaldeen | 34
CHROMOTHERAPY Yumeng Hou | 36
CELESTIAL CHANGE Meghan Bakota | 38
AFTERIMAGES Katherine Nightingale | 40
THE ART OF FALLING APART Siri Pintawihuk | 42
CATATONIC Kevin Withnell | 44
BIOPHILIA Ha Vu | 46
SA I Sushang Garbuja Magar | 48
SHADOW 影
Qianqian Wang (Mikki) | 50
ELLA TEIXEIRA
My capsule collection examines the epicene history of European dress and how it differs from contemporary fashion as a reflection of society’s changing openness to gender neutrality in fashion. Gender categories in fashion create a gender discomfort within Australia, following western ideologies of how masculine men should dress.
This collection encourages gender inclusive design through the addition of both feminine and masculine aesthetics, borrowing details such as lingerie and tailoring, to ironically distort the western ideation of masculinity. Although designed for both male and female bodies the collection has an overarching hyper feminine aesthetic, and traditional bust shaping removed to allow the garments to be worn by anyone. 9
ABBIE CAMERON
Ùr Erracht deconstructs traditional Scottish Highland Dress to redesign a contemporary ready-to-wear collection that examines culture, identity, and a personal connection with my family clan. Key signifiers include the Kilt 2/2 twill weave and the Cameron of Erracht tartan and colours. These elements have been 10
reconstructed alongside a visual investigation into geographical landmarks and cultural devices unique to Scotland. This collection features velvet, a common fabric used throughout Scottish Dress, music, dance, and organic silhouettes which represent the nature of the Highlands landscape.
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XIAOTONG LI (IVY)
This fashion collection uses the concept of Yin and Yang to integrate eastern elements into western structures to find a balance between traditional culture and modern trends. Yin and Yang is a simple and broad ancient Chinese philosophy. It is the endless darkness that makes people fear, and it is also the eternal light that makes people breathe. Anything in the world can be Yin and Yang, black and white, day and night, water and fire, reality and dreams, seemingly polarized individuals, each with its own power and mystery. Like the Yin and Yang symbol, the colours of black and white are both contradictory and complementary. The bipolar elements of ethnicity and fashion, beauty and purity, complexity and simplicity, rigidity and softness reach a new harmony under the interaction of Yin and Yang. Heaven and earth constantly balance, endlessly, and finally constitute all things.
ISABELLA GERVO
My concept looks at how the emotions of disconnection, stress, hygge, love, and resilience can be communicated by visual and tactile elements through fashion design. The words from friends who experienced periods of separation, sickness, and cohabitation during the COVID-19 pandemic are quoted through embroidery.
Fabric manipulation through channelling and ruching visually communicates the unpredictable. Layering, padding and using comforting textures work cohesively with the soft and deep colour palette and references the increased time spent indoors, specifically in bed, as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns.
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CASSIDY DENNIS
This collection explores and deconstructs femininity and sexuality to create a fashion narrative where the wearer feels empowered and sexy within themselves, and not at the expense of another person’s desires or ideals. Persephone focuses on the natural curve of the female form to inspire designs that combine 16
sensual, delicate, and tough materials, with textures and colours that allow the wearer to style their identity through visual self-expression. Looks are inspired by oppressive historical garments which imbue confidence and empowerment, encouraging the wearer to break free from preconceived societal ideals and expectations.
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LOK-CHING YUEN
“I don’t want to lose the idea of dreaming.”2 (Mower, 2017) This collection sees nature as a “quintessential romantic concept”3 bringing a dreamy aesthetic to fashion garments which feel mysterious and magical. Eco print and dyes connect fashion to the beauty of nature, creating an ethereal and fantasy world, giving the wearer and viewer hope and optimism. Designs are inspired by bridal wear, ancient Chinese history, and fantasy, and how these themes are built upon an appreciation of the natural world. 2. Mower, Sarah. 2017. “Christian Dior Spring 2017 Couture.” Vogue, Online. 3. Joy, Annamma and Peña, Camilo. 2017. “Sustainability and the Fashion Industry: Conceptualizing Nature and Traceability.” In “Sustainability in Fashion”, edited by Claudia E. Henninger, Panayiota J. Alevizou, Helen Goworek, and Daniella Ryding, 31-54. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
SALLY CATTO
Thirty three and a half per cent of young females see ‘poor body image’ as one of their top mental health issues.1 With the rising concern for female body confidence, this collection helps to empower and encourage women to feel comfortable and confident in a contemporary clothing range that plays with changing
volume and proportion. This collection features gathering, shirring, and ruching which resembles the oversized clothing that many women hide behind to cover their bodies while asking the wearer to step out of their comfort zone by wearing sheer fabrics. 1. Cowen, Alex. 2019. “Body Image Concerns Need National Response for Young Australians.” The Butterfly Foundation, Online.
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KWUN FAI JOSHUA LAU
This collection begins to dismantle the modern definition of men’s clothing, while validating an expression of gender fluidity to normalise genderless dressing. Garments challenge gender norms by exploring the similarities between what was considered masculine and worn by men during the Baroque and Renaissance period
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and what is considered feminine and worn by women in the present day. This collection is unapologetically vibrant and optimistic with exaggerated proportions, a defined silhouette at the waist and joints, bright, bold colours, lots of ruffles and heels. Dare to bloom.
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MADELYN JANE SUMNER
Continually providing, giving, creating, nurturing – biological female body parts are the essence of life. They are to be celebrated, and the images of them need to be destigmatised to truly appreciate and understand their complexities. My collection seeks to advocate, emulating the layers, textures, colours, and shapes of the body through garment in a way that is inviting to both the wearer and the viewer. Beyond aesthetics, this collection stimulates conversations between the wearer and the viewer about the life experiences that come with having biological female body parts, creating connection and solidarity as well as evoking feelings of excitement through discussing shared experiences. An hourglass silhouette using corsetry takes advantage of the historical reference to societal notions of ‘feminine beauty’ to emphasise a sense of power in feminine garments. Through garment, the wearer is transformed into an image of power, strength, and beauty, inspired by the character of biological female body parts.
HAYLEY HENHEFFER
My collection challenges the definition of garment within a contemporary context by repurposing textiles and objects to create androgynous fashion. Through the reuse of upholstery, curtain and material offcuts I have questioned the disposability of fast fashion garments to create meaningful relationships between clothing and wearer.
My interpretive use of spoons and lenses was inspired by surrealist art and its rejection of rationality to invite alternative garment forms as an expression of liberation from gendered restrictions in fashion. Reinstated Opulence explores the regeneration of textiles and everyday objects to support sustainable practices and create inclusively designed garments. 27
SOPHIE ANN BROWN
Modularity and interchangeability increase the lifespan of a garment. My collection focuses on classic and simple garments, with stylistic inspiration from the 1950s. Modularity has been incorporated to provide the customer with pieces that can be added, removed and rotated in and out of the wardrobe as styles come in and
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out of fashion. Each sleeve is designed to be interchangeable; the simple colour palette allows for changing silhouettes and mixing of colours and garments. Modulaire is a feminine womenswear collection, which features an earthy colour palette, midi length hems, ruching and volumous sleeves.
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NINGXIN ZENG (KRYSTAL)
Protecting the ocean starts with the protection of marine organisms. Among the countless marine organisms, my favourite is coral. Coral bleaching is a side effect of ocean warming, changes in light, or movement of nutrients. The gradual fading and whitening of corals are visually communicated through my colour palette and selected materials.
LILY CRIBB
Existing ideologies and cultural perceptions of fashion invite change. For centuries the formal suit and its accompanying elements have remained consistent European fashion artifacts acting as a vessel for social and political communication. Sustainable fashion, however, is established with natural, flowing and simplistic signifiers. These aren’t inherently undesirable qualities, but their association with current sustainable
fashion archetypes encourages this perception of mundanity. The combination of sustainable fashion and formal wear in Enduring Archetypes is an attempt to catalyse a change in perception. Natural dyes and wool fibres are used to transform the suit into an object of excitement and necessity, ultimately creating a new sustainable fashion archetype which is environmentally and stylistically more enduring. 33
TALISHA JAMALDEEN
The female form has been exploited and hypersexualised for decades, ironically leading to the modern phenomenon of women baring skin in order to feel empowered. This collection asks the wearer and viewer to celebrate the female form in all its raw glory; its curves, folds and stretch marks which exude power in alternative ways. This collection uses textures and rigid silhouettes to celebrate form, portraying power 34
through ‘curtains’ and ‘veils’ harking back to the time when queens in certain cultures could only be spoken to through a covering. POWER HAUS uses colour to emphasise power: black, the standard colour of men’s suiting, gold, a symbol of wealth and extravagance juxtaposed against white and red accents, signifiers of purity and peace, passion and attraction.
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YUMENG HOU
Within the rapid development of modern society, people are also subjected to various pressures which can lead to mental health problems, such as information anxiety, post-success depression and other various forms of trauma. My collection uses colour and chromotherapy to elevate emotions and bring about feelings of well-being. Playful dresses in translucent fabrics move with light and shadow through colour palette using low saturation pastels.
MEGHAN BAKOTA
When imagining the future, I envision an ecofriendly and sustainable one. This collection uses biodegradable plastic that proposes to replace existing fashion fabrics and textile embellishments to normalise and encourage the use of alternative and unconventional materials. Taking visual inspiration from the 1960s fashion era, including shift dresses, bows, lava lamps and
Pierre Cardin, Celestial Change sets out to create a youthful and fun collection that would offer a modern interpretation of the past. Keeping the historical structure, column shape and simple silhouette the same but enhancing its aesthetics and movement through a change in materials, making for a contemporary solution to an evergrowing problem.
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KATHERINE NIGHTINGALE
Textiles hold memories, embedded within, imbued with traces of their past lives. Playing with ideas of provenance, the experience of wearership, and our nostalgic connections with the past, afterimages aims to reframe consumer interactions with garment to establish a new tradition of passed-down mindfulness. Sustainably slow-crafted from salvaged vintage and antique 40
materials, designs blur the distinction between old and new. From subtle prints of lost ancestors to found treasures concealed within the layers, afterimages draws inspiration from the surrealist, dream-like quality of double exposure film. My practice-led research focuses on historical silhouettes abstracted and recontextualised in the contemporary design space, obscuring the line between past and present, garment and wearer.
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SIRI PINTAWIHUK
Repairing the psychological destruction and physical disconnection caused by social isolation. Fragmented, ruptured, and separated elements expressed through pieces of wearable art, created and placed beyond our extremities, in areas hard for us to see or reach. This collection is pieced together using original artwork that has been traditionally screen printed and hand embroidered. The concept takes inspiration from the Japanese art of highlighting or emphasising imperfections by repairing broken, chipped, and cracked pottery using gold, known as Kintsugi. Reconnect, unify body and mind.
KEVIN WITHNELL
Outcast and misunderstood, Catatonic reveals individual expression inspired by the underbelly of modern Japanese culture through a dissident collection of contemporary, anti-fashion street wear. All looks are androgynous and represent the macabre. The oversized silhouettes and detailed embellishments spread like contagion; like something from a horror movie. 45
HA VU
Biophilia describes the innate interactions and intimacy between humans and other living processes and life forms. When people step out into nature, they feel a sense of comfort, protection and peacefulness. Understanding the transformative process of biophilia, natural spatial surroundings and touch allows people
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to strengthen their well-being and spirituality. Drawing from nature’s soft forms, I designed objects which encourage the wearer’s comfort and protection. As modern society retracts us from the comfort of nature and the biophilic process, sensory garments become a bridge to well-being.
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SUSHANG GARBUJA MAGAR
Re-designing the sari for contemporary womenswear requires a change in the cultural stereotypes and definitions of women in India. Confident, independent, and passionate. This collection fuses current fashion trends with the traditional Indian sari to design a modern collection. Fitted garments feature asymmetrical elements, and oversized sleeves. The peacock features as a repeated motif, symbolising grace, pride, and beauty.
QIANQIAN WANG (MIKKI)
The city of Dunhuang was a strategic geographic crossroad where Chinese and western merchants used to pass through along the Silk Road. This collection explores the delicate relationships between people from different cultural backgrounds and investigates an exchange of economy, culture, politics, and religion.
This feminine and ethereal collection deconstruct the classic western suit, combined with draping and soft tailoring. Colours and fabrics are inspired by Van Gogh’s (1889) artwork “De Sterrennacht”, the alternation of black and blue creating shadows which make the colour and gradation richer.
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Teaching and Support Staff Dr Anne Farren Dr Kelsey Ashe Dr Jessica Priemus Emily Wills Emma Bermeier-Varian Jill Morrall Joanna Quake Molly Ryan Mladen Milicich
Special Thanks Paul Sumner Barnet Building Company Toby O’Keeffe Print Consultant
Videographers and Photographers Aron Attiwell Ashlee Tough Cooper Gordon and Ashleigh Hunter Harry Nightingale Jess Wharehinga and Brendan Cecich Matteo Drudi Peter Hayes Sam Dylan Irwin Saskia Hast and Tom Norrish Tallulah Armenti
Video and Photography Models Abbey Telfer
Kathleen Woolford
Nicoletta Dimas
Abi Porter
Kathryn Figueiredo
Ningxin Zeng
Banele Mkhwanazi
Katrina Catchlove
Olivia Panzich
Betty Love
Kay Wu
Rattana Luangnan-Gee
Blake Hattrick
Kiki (Kidist) Begashaw
Ruby Guilfoyle
Chaylea Tiavaasue
Krystal Zeng
Sharna Billman
Cheyanne Glew
Liam Crevola
Shelly Ee Ling
Christine Gamboa
Libby Taverner
Siena Marchensani
Ciara Morrissey
Lily Hurle
Stefanija Petrovic
Claire Huang
Lizzie Somerville
Tea Anna Paulo
Dagmara Karwowski
Logan Hewes
Tiffany Lu
Ella Teixeira
Lok-Ching Yuen
Timothy Eastough
Ellie Ossinger
Lok-Nin Yuen
Trynitee Thompson
Esté Breytenbach
Lyn-Lee Teh
William Conti
Hayley Henheffer
Madeleine Doyle
Xanadu Jaworska
Holli Hatherly
Makki Liu
Xiaotong Li (Ivy)
Isabella Gervo
Maeva Arouf
Yang Yang
Issy Sargon
Miaoyuan Lu
Yumeng Hou
Jingyi Zhang
Natasha Lomma
Zarah Saniat
Navina Stevens
Hair and Makeup Amelia Hart Artistry
Nina DoTran
Talisha Jamaldeen
Ella Cribb
Olivia Boyle
Vicky J Prapaporn
Sushang Garbuja Magar
Business of Fashion Students Breeand Stone
James Kelaita
Lauren Brice
Ellie Ossinger
Jasmine Jin
Madi Barnao
Felicia Audrey Yeo
Joann Liu
Shayla Johnston
Gabe Willesee
Tessa Covich
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