Bradley McLennan design

NORTH SYDNEY.- Fashion graduates from Raffles College of Design and Commerce will by vying for the dream prize of an internship with Australian fashion icon Akira Isogawa, presented by the man himself, when their final year collections are paraded down the catwalk at Carriageworks on Tuesday, December 8.

The gala event will include fantastic couture and deluxe garments for both women and men, ranging from swimwear to knitwear and eveningwear – all inspired by Japanese aesthetics and the “elemental forces” of air, earth, water, wind and fire.

The student deemed to have designed the Best Major Studio Project Range will be awarded a two-month internship at the Akira design studio. Isogawa will be the guest designer on the night to award the final winner.

Bachelor of Design (majoring in Fashion Design) graduate Brad McLennan, of Allambie Heights, says the garments he designed for the show draw particular inspiration from Japanese architecture.

“There is a specific building in Tokyo by an architect called Toyo Ito which I love,” says Brad. “It is called the Tod’s Building. I tried to incorporate the same kinds of shapes and lines into my collection as in that building. Triangles and textured lines are heavily used, as are beads, fabric manipulation and really high shoulders.”

He says his standout piece is “a beaded cocktail dress with very high shoulders with hand-made shoulder pads. It took three, 38-hour weeks to complete.”

Similarly, another fashion graduate, Peggy Hartanto of Haymarket, says her collection is inspired by the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima.

“My collection is called ‘Tears of Hiroshima’ and it features a lot of folding and unfolding, and crumpled designs to emphasize the destruction,” says Peggy. “Origami and paper cranes also feature in the collection, most prominently in a paper skirt. These represent hope and peace after suffering.”

Phillip Barwick from Muse Hair, Surry Hills, an affiliate of Redken, will send 13 hairdressers on the night to execute the spectacular hairstyles while Shu Uemura are providing a team of five for make-up.

The graduate collections are the culmination of a packed academic year for Bachelor of Design students majoring in Fashion Design. The show features final-year work of students from all over NSW and international students, among them many fashion industry “faces to watch’’.