2023 GRADUATES
FDS proudly presents the graduate collections of the Bachelor of Fashion Design’s class of 2023.
The collections are a representation of the skills and knowledge these emerging designers have acquired while learning the craft of fashion at FDS. Each one is a story told through the eyes of the designer and harnesses the creativity and technical prowess through the lens of sustainability and craftsmanship.
Lookbook captured by Jez Smith
INDUSTRY SHOW 21 Novenmber 2023 | 6:30 PM Running Order
L200 Tailoring and Couture
Aimee Simpson
AMICÚ embraces the unique spirit of both the land and the person. Embodying this through the creation of wearable pieces, inspired by the past to reinforce the present, finding balance between form and function.
Focusing on mindful practice, dead stock fibres are given new life through natural dying processes and artisanal hand weaving, fabric manipulation and embroidery techniques.
With natural references through raw shape and imagery, AMICÚ is a respectful adventure, mirroring the most important connections in life.
Alana Gloor
The brand name Seersucker, is a direct tribute to the cotton fabric from which it takes inspiration. With it’s distinct tight and crinkled vertical stripes, seersucker embodies a sensitive concept - the interplay between the soft and the taut.
Seersucker is an Australian womenswear label that aims to fuse inspiration from both tailoring and hand-sewing traditions. With a focus on both form and function, the essence of the taut and soft is carried forward by nurturing a slower and understated approach to design. The intention is to revive a conviction and sensibility of care between wearer and clothing.
Anandio Asmaliudin
ACID.EXE is a brand inspired by the world beyond that which we currently know. It is an enigma of what humanity is familiar with and the unknown/unexpected. Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we CAN think.
‘Psychodelic’ is a conceptual collection beyond this dimension, aspiring to distort the fabric of reality. By observing the environment that surrounds us, the collection is inspired by the unknown to manifest a reality that the naked eye cannot familiarise with. and create innovative, fashion forward design.
Arielle Wachtenheim
Arielle Manon is a new and refreshing brand by designer Arielle Wachtenheim, that focuses on serving innovative design as a way of introducing a bold and exclusive version of femininity…the next woman.
The label’s mission is to curate a unique design signature within the creative landscape through contemporary silhouettes and the conceptualisation of fashion. Arielle’s motivation is to design products that are ethical, innovative and of the highest quality. Striving for a better future, the label uses deadstock and emerging fabrications and technologies to communicate those ideas.
Furthermore, Arielle’s unique skillset of conceptualising fashion, themes and ideas is what makes Arielle Manon a brand to watch out for.
Bella Davies
Bella Davies is a contemporary, textile focused brand that celebrates femininity and aims to blur the lines between art and fashion. The Bella Davies aesthetic is defined by unique, artistic prints, bespoke embellishments and textured fabrications.
The labels first collection ‘Keep Space’ combines contemporary textiles and avant-garde silhouettes that are designed to ‘keep space’ between the wearer and their surroundings.
The collection is inspired by naturally existing shapes and forms, with a strong emphasis on organic linework and colouration. The label aims to showcase the craftsmanship and artisanal processes behind the finished garments and the creative fusion between the parallel worlds of art and fashion.
Francesca Potamianakis
Captivating sensuality contrasted with unapologetically, bold fantasy. Potamianakis is a luxury womenswear brand where couture meets street-style, constructing a reality where the femininity and sensuality of a female is praised, respected and alluring.
Potamianakis offers feel good, high quality wardrobe staples as well as innovative couture pieces which are made for layering, achieving glamorous, experimental fashion designed for longevity.
Utilising premium quality, luxurious silks, and admirable craftsmanship guarantees heirloom pieces to pass down through generations to come.
The debut collection “‘he art of seduction’ explores the concept of the divine feminine and the notion of women using the power of seduction in order to survive in a world created by men, for men.
Georgia Smith
Guise is a label by Georgia Smith that is guided by empowerment and the championing of self expression. An infusion of queer art and cultural heritage creates a contemporary and androgynous aesthetic that allows the wearer to explore their selfhood and emerge from the masses to subvert the ordinary.
The signature of Guise is a modern interpretation of tailoring that focus on function, quality and sustainability. The ‘redefining reckoning’ collection is primarily constructed using dead stock fabric that would ordinarily end up in landfill. Guise’s debut collection aims to traverse the exploration of identity, deconstruction of conformity and encouragement of evolution.
The collection is dedicated to Georgia’s late Grandma, Bev who taught her how to sew.
Jazmin Cleary
Merging everyday wear with a couture focus, an appreciation of craftsmanship, adaptability and admiration of a woman’s form is the core value of JAZ.
This collection explores the concept of adjustability to flatter and provide comfort for the JAZ woman’s evolving body shape, furthering the emotional longevity of a quality garment.
‘UNRESTRICTED’ probes the struggle between an individual’s inner identity and their portrayal of self. It grasps the complexity of identity through the investigation of fabrication, drawing inspiration from the underground nightlife of the 1920’s and the newfound expression in the 70’s through the psychedelic era.
Lucinda Bowen
Seraph is an experimental label which emphasises garment construction and conceptual textile engineering. Their designs are a multifaceted exploration of raw vulnerability and the balance between hard and soft.
Seraph communicates concepts through prints and textiles, often exploring memory and connection through meaningful motifs. Their garments are sigils; pieces immersed with wishes, dreams and memories. They transcend the traditional fashion context and exist in an echo chamber; isolated from external influence.
Seraph prefers to salvage pre-existing garments and materials, thus releasing limited quantity, yet highly individual pieces.
Misha Evstigneev
MP3 is a distinctive unisex label at the forefront of contemporary menswear with a focus on crafting a modern, sustainable uniform.
Influenced by the utilitarian aesthetics of military attire, our designs embody a harmonious blend of functionality and style. Committed to the ethos of slow fashion, we prioritize environmentally friendly printing and design techniques, ensuring our creations resonate with the values of today while enduring the test of time.
MP3 encapsulates the essence of a fashion-forward era, where quality, minimalism, and environmental responsibility converge to elevate your wardrobe.
Monique Marschner
Monique Marschner’s ‘ I am Her‘ prompts an introspection into self-identity provoking the nostalgia of childhood.
Is who we were in our youth our truest self?
The debut collection reflects the designers own personal memories, taking inspiration from old sketchbooks and diaries. Through an ultra-feminine, pastel colour palette and playful silhouettes, ‘I am Her’ encourages the wearer to embrace a playful and carefree nature where Monique wants you to be bold, outrageous, and uniquely yourself. The contrast of intricate embellishments with innovative upcycled sail fabrics all work together to bring to life a sense of quirky couture.
Amaranta Zephyr
Ra Zephyr is an inclusive luxury brand where misfits are accepted, and diversity and difference are celebrated. It is a playful and colourful brand offering exaggerated, exciting, and ethically made high-end clothing to encourage unique self-expression through eccentric details and textures that challenge the status quo.
The debut collection “Misfit Prom” takes inspiration from 80s punk and new romantic subcultures. The collection features designs that are made to be lived in, with adjustable sizing to stay comfortable no matter where life leads you.
Renee Henderson
Lychee Alkira embodies the joy of connection and belonging, signifying both a "gift for a joyful life" and a "bright and sunny" spirit. Just like the sweet and mesmerising lychee, it represents the sweetness and allure of the Lychee woman, celebrating the fusion of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous cultures.
Lychee Alkira’s vision revolves around collaboration as the ultimate form of respect, partnering with Indigenous artists, young and old, to create exclusive, contemporary designs inspired by Aboriginal art and culture. Their muse is the natural world's organic beauty juxtaposed with the sleek lines of modern architecture, merging traditional Indigenous techniques with cutting-edge production methods.
Experience Lychee Alkira, where the essence of connection and culture is artfully woven into each piece.
Samara Darling
'I'm Sorry For Interrupting,' is the debut collection by Who Am U, and is guided by the harmonious interplay of music and cloth, the body and the beauty of inner conflict associated with questioning one's authenticity.
The collection pays homage to the eloquence of raw textiles, each piece weaving its own unique narrative. An audio landscape designed in parallel with the collection, is used to explore the synergy of non-verbal communication and the unpredictable outcomes of engaging emotion when things can't be explained rationally.
Sara Marta
Marta aims to enunciate the voice of creativity in the individual's spirit and encourages women to feel akin to their uniqueness.
The brand embraces the divine feminine through diaphanous fabrications contrasted with bold structures that adorn the female form as well as nurture her inner radiance. Traditional methods of craftsmanship are cherished through intricate embellishment and striking textiles, driving gentleness towards the planet through design.
Pieces are crafted to foster deep inspiration. They are an instrument for emotion, to feel power, to feel ethereal, to feel joy, to feel hopeful.
This first collection emerges from a fascination with love and the plethora of emotions that accompany it. In all its forms and manifestations, it is the universal language of the human experience.
Scarlett Barlow-Hunt
X-RATED was created to give licence to women to break free for the constraints of the perception of what a woman should be.
The label celebrates women as they are; empowering them through the exploration of their own beauty and sensuality in an approachable and accessible way, and highlighting the flexibility and complexity of femininity. X-Rated aims to break societal beauty standards and bring awareness to women struggling with eating disorders, body dysmorphia and low self esteem.
Ethics and sustainability are at the core of the brands ideology with up-cycling and reimagining dead stock key factors in the design process of streetwear meeting couture.
Tasman Banks
Tasman Banks is expressing your true self and embracing your Shadow. It is where you wear your doubts and fears on your sleeve, and find strength in vulnerability.
Through cutting-edge tailoring, experimentation, and alternative dying practices, a story is told. A story that feels personal to anyone. The narratives are inspired by Tasman’s personal experiences and passions, as well as her explorations of art, psychology, history, and horror, and manifest in tailoring that is raw, bold, and authentic.
Be Brave.
Dare to disturb.
Xana Ryan
Xana Paloma (XP) is a testament to the art of sustainability without compromising self-expression. XP celebrates the endurance of finely engineered clothing, born from a deep love for the art of dressmaking. Each piece is imbued with feminine sensitivity and creative eclecticism.
XP champions the beauty found in the interplay of decay and restoration within well-made garments, rejecting the vanity of materialism and overconsumption. The designs find their place amongst treasured keepsakes that transcend generations; as heirlooms, created to grace many hands and to be worn and mended with boundless love.
Follow this link to see who won the 2023 Illustration Excellence Award.
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