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Remedy 2021  •  22 February 2021

UTS Fashion Honours

Making in isolation

By Sally Jackson, Gisella Candi & Alyssa Sun
Content Warning: Sexual references
UTS Fashion Honours

Photography @ldaphnenguyen
Makeup @seanetc
Hair @kyye
Model @maisinadaze

#Narcissum

by Alyssa Sun

The collection is inspired by‭ ‬80s/90s fetish wear‭. ‬‘Narcissism’‭ ‬is‭ ‬ an extreme version of being self-centred‭; ‬it means self-expression‭, ‬self-obsession‭, ‬desire for fantasy‭ ‬and beauty‭, ‬and drawing attention from others‭. ‬The ultimate elements‭ ‬of fetish wear‭, ‬corsets and latex‭, ‬ are applied differently throughout the collection‭. ‬The sculptured latex pieces cupping the body‭, ‬and the corsetry prints making‭ ‬the tight‭-‬lacing illusion‭; ‬these are my‭ ‬exploration and understanding‭ ‬ of fetish wear‭. ‬The aim of this‭ ‬collection is to spread the idea of‭ ‬body-confidence and be sexy all‭ ‬ the time‭.‬

How was your creative process different due to the restrictions in 2020‭? ‬How did fashion honours help you through the turmoils of 2020‭?‬

I think it was hard for me to‭ ‬ produce anything at the beginning‭ ‬ of the course‭, ‬when we couldn’t‭ ‬access the facilities at uni‭. ‬Also‭, ‬staying at home didn’t inspire me‭ ‬ at all‭. ‬But after the situation got‭ ‬better‭, ‬and we could‭ ‬go out‭, ‬the issue was gone‭. ‬Looking back on‭ ‬2020‭, ‬my honours year was more‭ ‬special‭. ‬Everybody did amazing work‭ ‬during this tough situation which‭ ‬made everything more meaningful‭, ‬it’s an unforgettable memory‭.‬

Photography @lizhamdotcom
Styling and accessories @adhocwerkspace
Hair @sophieroberts_hair
Photography assistant @arashilam2
Makeup artist @joel_babicci
Models @tradisradd @gharps @honorsworld

#The Bowerbirds

by Sally Jackson

My honours research is about what we‭, ‬as fashion designers‭, ‬can do to make fashion more sustainable‭. ‬I remained open-minded when‭ ‬I found out we would not‭ ‬have a fashion show‭, ‬because it felt like an opportunity‭ ‬ to have conversations with people attending the student showcase‭. ‬I enjoyed discussing my individual design‭ ‬development‭, ‬and philosophy behind making the collection‭. ‬I received a lot of positive feedback from other fashion students who‭ ‬were also interested in‭ ‬creating sustainable fashion collections in the future‭.‬

‘The Bowerbirds’‭ ‬is a couture‭ ‬collection that demonstrates that couture fashion can be unique‭, ‬beautiful and sustainable by using only upcycled vintage garments‭ ‬ and textile waste‭. ‬Different species‭ ‬of bowerbirds inspire the prints‭, ‬embellishments and colour palettes‭ ‬for each look‭. ‬The birds have‭ ‬particular tastes in the colours and‭ ‬objects that they use to decorate their nests‭; ‬they are amazing natural architects and designers‭. ‬Swarovski sponsors my collection‭, ‬so I used upcycled crystals to embellish the designs‭. ‬This went well with my‭ ‬Bowerbird concept too‭, ‬as the birds‭ ‬love collecting shiny objects to decorate their bower nests‭. ‬

How did 2020‭ ‬change your design practice‭? ‬

Studying in isolation allowed me to source materials locally and support businesses like Reverse Garbage in Marrickville‭, ‬who are known for diverting industry waste from landfill to creative projects like my honours collection‭.‬

Sourcing textiles was the biggest challenge‭ ‬ for the project‭. ‬The design process started with research into the visual language of the‭ ‬collection‭, ‬and then I had to find relevant‭ ‬waste textiles and pre-loved garments to fit‭ ‬ the collection’s aesthetic‭.‬

Photography @lexilaphorphoto
Makeup @elizabethclewis
Model @amber.rose

#Wide Angle Smile

by Gisella Candi

My honours collection focuses on the idea of‭ ‬‘deviant dress’‭ ‬and the idea that society often celebrates tradition and passivity‭, ‬over authentic expression of self‭. ‬Therefore‭, ‬the silhouettes and print work within my work depict the struggle‭ ‬ of wrestling with convention and individuality‭. ‬

What are your thoughts on the cancelling of the UTS Fashion Show‭?‬

Although shocked and disappointed at first‭, ‬the cancellation of the UTS Fashion show‭ ‬slowly but surely became the least of our‭ ‬problems in 2020‭. ‬From worrying about showcasing the work we hadn’t even made‭ ‬ yet‭, ‬to fighting to be allowed onto campus to‭ ‬use the textile facilities‭; ‬the past year became‭ ‬ a testament to the hardworking students and staff of DAB‭. ‬

Runways around the world have been cancelled‭ ‬or digitised‭, ‬and to put it plainly‭, ‬it would‭ ‬have been completely tone deaf if UTS went‭ ‬ahead with our annual runway‭. ‬Instead‭, ‬the‭ ‬UTS staff pushed hard to give us a three-day‭ ‬media showcase to help students reach out‭ ‬ to industry professionals‭. ‬This was a new and‭ ‬exciting event that we are beyond thankful for‭. ‬Once again‭, ‬thank you to Armando Chant‭, ‬Alana Clifton and all of‭ ‬the F&T staff for their support during 2020‭. ‬

To shadow any of the hard work the honours‭ ‬graduates have put into their collections‭, ‬ with any resentment towards a cancelled‭ ‬runway‭, ‬would be a shame‭. ‬It only takes one‭ ‬look at the UTS Fashion 2020‭ ‬website‭, ‬or‭ ‬ each student’s design Instagram accounts to see what incredible work we achieved‭, ‬despite‭ ‬all of the challenges‭. ‬I am so proud of myself‭ ‬ and my cohort for powering through 2020‭, ‬and I am so excited to see the future of fashion unfold with all the amazing and‭ ‬relentless faces behind it‭.‬

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