12.11.09

DAY 2: Melbourne

Its my best friend's birthday today and i feel slightly bad that i only sent her a birthday wish through sms. However, today I am going to richmond, to bridge rd where i can look for cheap clothes and presents for people. It's absolutely scorching and my skin is sizzling under the sun. It doesn't take long to get there, as Melbourne is so small compared to Sydney. I walked down Swanston's to get to Flinders Station (its this beautiful building opposite Federation Square) and the NGV (National Gallery Victoria) is there too. Omgsh! There was a clothing exhibition called Together Alone: Australian and New Zealand Fashion. I was there for HOURS just looking at all the designs. My favourite has got to be Material By Product. Their innovative approach to design, as well as their appreciation of form and sartorial structure made it a stand out for sure!!! Tony Maticevski was pretty good too as well as Akira. AAHHH love it love it.
Bridge Rd shops were pretty much all the ones like in Sydney anyway, so i didnt wanna spend too long there. The road is so old and spacious. But it was ok i suppose. There were these ugly shoes there though, its like clogs- carved out of wood- with strips of leather stapled across the foot. It looked soo cheap but cost $110. Urgh, how stupid.

10.11.09

DAY 1: Melbourne

It was SOO HOT!! Its like 35 degrees down here!
So I got to city center (i think) and got guided down to my cousin's house. The city is so neat and gridlike! The town planning it amazing! Just almost too well planned. Its super easy to go around the city in Melbourne, along with the transport in which you buy kinda like a weekly, except it is calculated in terms of how many times you use it instead and includes trains and trams.
Melbourne is a very flat area, the houses and business are very sparse, and there are hardly any high rise buildings in the city, which is the difference to sydney.
Tomorrow, i am going to try to walk around the vintage shops near to where my cousin lives, but its going to be BOILING HOT!The place where my cousin lives reminds me a bit like the outer suburbs of sydney but i think its still part of the city.

9.11.09

Kenneth Paul Block



Yves Saint Laurent's 1976 Ballet Russes collection, by Kenneth Paul Block:

Joe Eula







Joe Eula: classic, nice poses, free style, but only looks nice from far away.

PROCHAINE

I created a new site. This is to have all my pattern-making trials and tribulations. I dont really know about the name, but if i ever have a lable, i'll have to think of a better name, cos my own name is not so catchy when it comes to fashion labels.

UTS makes top 10 national finalists.

UTS Finalists Get Set For New York Fashion
"Three UTS fashion & textiles students have made the top 10 national finalist pool for Australian's in New York Fashion Foundation's internship program.

Final judging will take place on 21 December to determine if UTS's Laura Beaven, Katelyn Gray and Nikki Cohen will win world-class expereince and contacts in New York's fashion industry.

All three students will exhibit in the UTS design graduate show Republic of Design 2009."

UTS newsletter.

8.11.09

Daniel McNaboe



Please go to http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/art/an-interview-with-daniel-macnaboe/2009/10/07/ for an interview with this artist. He draws with amazing realism in mostly pencil and paints.

Make-up


Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box

Garance Doré


Image from http://www.garancedore.fr/en/

I LOVE! her blog and I LOVE especially her illustrations. I thought this one was interesting, I think she put some pattern-making paper down on it. Love it love it. You can experiment with different textures and papers to create your look.

Fashion Mags

Want the latest fashion magazine news?
Go to: http://www.fashion.org.au/

7.11.09

DANNY TAN (ILLUSTRATOR)

ROBBY TJIA

Robby Tjia is inspiring. I hope to follow in his footsteps with the same determination and vigour for the discipline!

Check out his myspace of his designs and illustrations.
http://www.myspace.com/robbytjia






For more pictures of his designs:
http://www.vogue.com.au/people+parties/events/lancome+colour+designs+awards,1336 (Colour Lancome Design Awards)

At the Powerhouse Museum showing with Dion Lee. http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/exhibitions/student_fashion.asp

Here is an interview from the UTS graduate profiles.
Robby Tija - Bachelor of Design in Fashion & Textiles
When did you graduate?
2007.
What do you design?
Everything that is different!

What's the hardest things about working in fashion?
The hardest thing about fashion design or design in general is to come up with new, creative and innovative designs.

Most people think that we just draw and the design is finished. They forget about the research and process of getting it to the finished product.

With fashion in particular, I would say that pattern making is the second hardest thing to do, because when the pattern is wrong, the whole fit and proportion of the garment is ruined.

What's the easiest then?
The easiest and most fun part of doing fashion design is the fashion show and the after party!

Polygons - Designed by Robby Tija





What are you up to these days?
Right after I finished UTS, I made another collection called Polygons and following this I moved to Paris.

I first studied the language here just to get to know the city better.

During this time, I applied to study at the master school of the Institut Francais de la Mode - which is one of the best fashion schools in the world for a master school.

My UTS lecturer Val Horridge had introduced me to the school when we had both been in Paris two years earlier after I won the Lancome Colour Design Awards.


Polygons - Designed by Robby Tija


IFM is really hard to get in, with the school only accepting 10 - 12 students in a year.

To be accepted, there was a long and involved process:

In December 2008, I applied just to receive the application form.
I then had to send them my CV and education background.
After they saw that I might have been eligible, they finally sent me the application form, which consists of describing my creative world and how I achieve it. It also required a two page portfolio.

Apparently many applicants don't make it through this first level. I luckily did and was then asked to:

Make a garment in 2 weeks time

Include three videos (a video about the garment that I did, a second video about my portfolio, and in the third video answering a question sent in an envelope that we're not allowed to open it until we're in front of the camera.

Finally, if you pass this level, there is the third exam - a phone interview with judges from acclaimed fashion houses in Paris. Apparently some of the judges in my judging were from Nina Ricci.

Three days after, they called me and told me that I was selected for the next fashion program starting in September (2009). They are also currently exhibiting the garment that I made for them at the school.






Australian Fashion Designers

List of Australian Fashion Designers: New and Established

http://rafw.com.au/individual-collection-shows/Christopher-Esber

http://lifestyle.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=451425

Interview with 4 Australian Designers Dion Lee (Ultimo TAFE), Lee Mattews (UTS), Robby Tjia (UTS), Christopher Esber

A must read: http://www.jigsaws.com.au/jigsaws-articles/2008/4/24/young-blood/

Young Blood
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday April 24, 2008

Stephanie Wood
From Star Wars to jigsaws, four up-and-coming designers tell Stephanie Wood what inspires them.

Dion Lee

22, Newtown

What's his story? In the tiny spare bedroom of his mother's home, fashion student Dion Lee creates garments that mark him as a face to watch. Among them: a black dress trailing handmade ropes that used 200 balls of wool and was inspired by the symbolic Tibetan concept of the eternal knot, and an interlocking, four-in-one tailored jacket for which he received an unprecedented 100 out of 100. Lee is one of four hand-picked 2007 TAFE Fashion Design Studio graduates to present a group show at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week this month. "I'd like to see where the collection takes me," says Lee, of the 20 "looks" he will present.

So what's his look? "It's a sophisticated but industrial aesthetic with classic elements."

Where does the inspiration come from? Lee's work has recently been fuelled by inspiration gained from construction and anatomy - specifically the concept of cell mitosis, in which a cell duplicates the chromosomes in its nucleus to generate two, identical nuclei. On the face of it, that might result in a frenzy of polka-dotted pieces - the dots alluding to cells - but not for the cerebral Lee. He thought of cell mitosis in a conceptual sense. "It's taking the idea of one thing dividing into two, and an ongoing cycle of change," he says. That thinking informed Lee's panelled, heavily layered silk-organza pleated A-Line dress with a tailored collar (right), one of the looks he'll present at fashion week. The dress's multiple panels are based "on the idea of separation and growth"; the diamond-shaped cream panels lift off, as does the wool-silk collar.

Anything else? Architectural lines, scaffolding and construction. Lee's workbook features photographs of buildings, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas' extraordinary work-in-progress, the CCTV headquarters in Beijing.

"I have a construction-based interest in fashion," says Lee.

"I spend a lot of time on patterns."

Lee Matthews

26, Wahroonga

What's her story? Matthews, who last year wrapped up her four-year Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles at UTS, is working as a freelance designer and planning her next move. On the cards is a move to London at the end of the year and, in the not-too-distant future, the launch of her own label. Early last year, she was one of three UTS students chosen to go to Paris to compete in the Lancome Colour Design Awards world final, in which fashion students interpret the cosmetic brand's spring/summer make-up collection through clothing designs.

So what's her look? "It's very avant-garde; very geometric and structural. I try not to be too conventional and I work against a commercial aesthetic."

Where does the inspiration come from? As Matthews started to prepare her graduate collection late last year, people told her she was crazy. Enthralled with the work of Richard Sweeney, a British artist who creates complex sculptures by modelling, folding and pleating paper, Matthews used cardboard to drape a mannequin instead of the usual calico. The final result - hard interlining and plenty of boning giving shape to silks, linens and poplin (left) - fell in softer lines than the cardboard but still, the collection was a study in structure and form. "I try to create new silhouettes on the body," says Matthews. And her well of inspiration has a long way to go before it runs dry. So far, she has confined her paper-into-fashion experimentations to oblong shapes. Next up? Curves.

Anything else? Origami first piqued Matthews' interest in paper. "I thought if I could translate the paper into the fabric then it would be a new way of looking at fashion." Architecture also figures: pinned up in her workroom at her parents' Wahroonga home are photographs of masterpieces such as the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Christopher Esber

21, Parramatta

What's his story? When Christopher Esber heads to Paris in August he'll take a portfolio of work boosted by the looks he presents at Australian Fashion Week this month in a group show with three other students from the TAFE Fashion Design Studio. "It's a little holiday and an opportunity quest," says Esber of his trip. And if the collection he shows is well-received and orders flow in, he's ready to go into production mode. Esber has also invested money to develop fabrics, importing yarns and working with the Australian Spinners and Weavers Guild.

So what's his look? "I like to balance pieces that are approachable and wearable

with pieces that are a lot more offbeat and conceptual."

Where does the inspiration come from? Esber's reversible wool and leather "puzzle coat" (left) refers to the jigsaw puzzles of the work of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, who often explored mathematical theories. "I was drawn to his work: it was very precise and almost looked computer-generated."

Anything else? More mathematics. Esber's father was a maths and science teacher and, although maths wasn't his son's strong point, his daily "show me your homework" demands left their mark. "I always thought 'I'm never going to do maths' and then I do pattern making, and it's pretty much all maths," says Esber, who has explored the Fibonacci sequence and the physics theory of "wormholes" in his designs. The organza shirt (left), for example, refers to the theory with its sleeves, which join at the back. "Wormhole theory is like a passage between two universes... I try to create the portal between each surface and you see that at the back with the joining sleeves." Over the years, Esber has also found inspiration in "the whole Adam and Eve thing". He is currently developing a "kitschy fabric" that depicts a garden of eden merging with an "industrial, neon wilderness".

Chair from Edit.

Robby Tjia

24, city

What's his story? Indonesian-born Tjia has segued from designing clothes for his UTS graduate collection, which he presented in December last year, to conjugating French verbs in preparation for a move to Paris later this year. "My supervisors kept telling me, 'you can't stay here, you have to go overseas,'" says Tjia, who did a three-month internship in London with English designer Alexander McQueen through the '06-'07 northern winter and hopes to get work with Givenchy or Balenciaga when he heads to Paris in September. Tjia came second in the Lancome Colour Design Awards world final in Paris in May last year.

So what's his look? "It's very contemporary, sometimes futuristic. I want to give women superior strength through the garment."

Where does the inspiration come from? After the Lancome Colour Design Awards, where he unveiled garments with strong 18th-century influences, Tjia knew he wanted to do something futuristic or space-age. The muse for his graduate collection, "the Underground Cyborg", was Star Wars and its robots. "I tried to come up with how women in the future might look, and how I might [translate] the look of robot armour into women's daily garments."

The result? A layered black patent leather calfskin cape offsetting a cotton striped dress with white vinyl trim, black patent leather and calfskin detailing, and laser-cut metallic detailing (above).

Anything else? Tjia's inspirations come from multiple sources. "I always have a little black book with me," he says. Tjia's lively MySpace page reveals more: his love for black and white, for geometric shapes - and for a marionette theme. During his time in London, he came upon the work of illustrator Richard Gray, who had painted a marionette. That sent an intrigued Tjia off on an exploration that resulted in drawings featuring circus motifs, trapeze swings, merry-go-round unicorns and women on strings or with wind-up keys in their backs. (s)

Dion Lee







SS 09/10
I seemed to recall, not long since I was last perusing the internet, looking at the designs of Lee Matthews and seeing that Dion Lee of Ultimo Tafe take out the winning designs at the Australian Fashion Graduate of the Year Award 2009 Mercedes Brisbane Fashion Festival, that suddenly, whilst i checked up my Dazed website, who should pop onto the page? Why, Dion Lee!

After researching on his designs, it's wonder that he's been hailed the next big thing, set to explode already in Australia with opportunities on the international scale. He is definitely one to watch with his strong yet feminine designs. Why do I think it is successful? And what can I learn from his direction:

. distinctive sculptural and engineered aesthetic in design
. detail. why this? why not this?
. technical pattern-making brilliance
. quality of make (finishings) and material
et ensuite
. selection for fashion competitions
et ensuite
. fashion shows- buyers
et ensuite
. pioneer a contemporary Australian fashion identity
et ensuite
. international presence

Here's what Dazed wrote of Dion Lee:

DION LEE BURSTS ONTO THE SCENE
Dion Lee strikes Australian fashion like a bolt of sartorial lighting- and it may never be the same again…
Disassociated from the relaxed, practical wearability that normally characterises Australian fashion, Dion Lee has burst onto the style scene like a rocket in flight. Completely unique in his vision, Lee combines structured architecturally with something distinctly primal; cutting, pasting, peeling back layers, celebrating form and the female body in a way that Australia has never seen it done before. A mere three seasons in, Lee is the most hyped, hot new talent the antipodean industry has seen in quite some time, and the nation is swelling with pride. Perhaps it is not long then, until Lee sets off to conquer the world, an imminent reign that seems more cemented in fact than the whimsical dreams of those who came before him.

Dazed Digital: You have been somewhat of an over night sensation in Australia. How do you feel about the hype?
Dion Lee: I suppose it doesn't feel like it happened overnight, for me. The collection I showed at Australian Fashion Week in April was my third season. I started my business straight out of college, without alot of experience and it has been a huge learning curve. I am definitely very pleased to that people are responding to the where it's going, however I still feel like I have long way to go before I start patting myself on the back.

DD: What inspired your SS 09/10 collection?
Dion Lee: I was looking at the crushed car sculptures of American artist John Chamberlain. I liked the idea of creating these crushed and twisted forms, in a clean tailored articulation. I also integrated a jewelry element into the pieces, using glass and silver chain as harnesses, that hold parts of the garments together.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/article/4510/1/Dion_Lee_Bursts_onto_the_Scene

Here are some other sites to see his work.

His website: http://www.dionlee.com/
For an article on his Fashion Graduate of the Year show; http://www.ourbrisbane.com/shopping/mbff-feature/brisbane-designers-compete
For pictures of the show: http://www.thevine.com.au/fashion/articles/dion-lee-wins-fashion-graduate-of-the-year.aspx
"The night belonged to the gracious and softly spoken Dion Lee, who has recently sold his collection to Belinda Seper’s iconic boutique The Corner Shop which has played a key role in kick starting the careers of Australian labels such as Ksubi and Michelle Jank."
More pictures: http://www.thesupermelon.com/style/dion-lee-ss09/
http://extracheeese.com/tactile/dion-lee
Where to buy: http://www.mycatwalk.com.au/designer/dion-lee.html

Fashion Theory

http://www.selfpassage.org/
This is an interesting site about contemporary fashion and design from a theoretical view. Its quite conceptual with articles written about directions, purposes and impacts on society.

Flight Luck

Ok, so I just cannot believe my luck in that I booked my flight at the LAST minute which resulted in the prices skyrocketing. Then suddenly, when i went to pay, I noticed that a cheaper $39 fare had become available....LUCKY! I took my chances and paid for them after quickly checking that it was the right date and between the right airports. Which just goes to show, always keep your eye out, and things change all the time.

6.11.09

A Quote by Hussein Chalayan

"By merging with our cyber-environment we become anonymous: we can wrap ourselves in electrical shadows, masquerade as another, lie in concealed silence, or fall into a clandestine underworld. And yet we find ourselves under the watchful gaze of an unknown omnipresent eye. An eye which covertly regulates and orders our movements, encrypting invisible tattoos upon the imaginary skin, This is the eye of surveillance."

In ShadowsAutumn/ Winter 2005-06

Obtained from Parlour X website.

UTS Fashion Design Graduates 2009, Talia Shuvalov on working with Alexander McQueen

Here is yet another budding designer to look up to. I'd love to see some of her designs one day. Here is a bit about what she says about her fashion design.

Talia Shuvalov 2009

Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles

Exhibiting Work
In my major work Synthetic Organic, I have been looking at how designers have exaggerated the natural figure through fashion.
My work at the moment covers the progression from organic form to synthetic. It starts with organic shapes and blends into a more robotic image.
I’m focusing on knitware - 98% of the pieces are all knit. I am looking at combining the knit with woven fabrics so creating 3D forms with the knit - something that is proving to be extremely hard!

Working with Industry Contacts in China
I am getting a lot of knits made for me in China. I’ve got a few contacts there, creating two different types of fabric for me (Intarsia knits and velvet devore).
For me this is a really pure way of designing because I am starting the process of design from scratch, designing the actual fabric.
In terms of building these relationships with industry people overseas, it can be hard relying on other people to pull through with your tight deadlines. It has been okay so far and they seem to understand everything pretty well and I seem to understand their limitations.
An issue it has created for me is that it places an extra three weeks on the top of everything else having the fabric made and sent back here. I have had to get things in production well before other students and I am not an extremely organised person usually, I don’t think I’ve even ever owned a diary.

A Family In Fashion
My mum owns an importing company called Sandra Steiner and used to be a knitwear designer in the 80’s, designing for David Jones.
Mum now sells her label to David Jones and around Australia and I’ve had the experience of designing a couple of ranges for her under T.I.S. - which is my initials. This experience has helped me to design to a target market different to myself when in the past I only designed for me.
Mum has been in the business for 25 years.
Ever since I was little my mum has been travelling to Hong Kong for the fashion trade fair. I now go with her in January to meet all her contacts there and help her out. I love it because I can work for her but then drag her to the shops that are open till 10pm.
I pretty much always knew I wanted to work in fashion but at the same time it was something I fought against because mum was in the industry.
Since starting uni however, I haven’t regretted my choice in course at all.

A Bit on Me Work Wise
This year I worked for three and a half months for Alexander McQueen in London.
McQueen has three assistant designers. My boss Holly was the assistant design in textiles and style but he also has an embroider assistant designer and a construction assistant designer.
When I worked there I was enjoying the work so much and was so motivated at the beginning of each day, but at the same time I was getting absolutely no sleep. You were producing all of his ideas at the most insane pace. I had never been able to produce things as quickly in my life. There would be a showing almost every morning to present all the work.
McQueen has contacts at his fingertips that people would only dream about. It takes me five weeks to get a piece of material back from China, it takes him about two days to get this perfect piece of fabric back with not a single change to make. They have photos of people making these fabrics in a workshop and they’re all wearing these lab coats like it’s some kind of science fiction movie – I kept thinking where do I find these people?!
One of the highlights of my experience working with Alexander McQueen was the show in Paris.
It was amazing, really, really amazing. I just never expected to be at one of those shows. It was not a fashion show but a performance. McQueen had sixty different looks. The models were crazy looking, almost like another alien species. The people there were people I would only read about in magazines.
While I was in Paris, I also got to go to the Victor & Rolf show through my job back in Sydney. I work for Parlour X in Paddington and my boss was in Paris at the time and had asked me to help her with her buying. With my boss I went to the showrooms for Balenciaga and Isabel Marant and Herve Leger, they were all an experience in themselves.
The trip to Paris made all the hard work worth it. Those three and a half months with McQueen was just such a crazy experience.

Student profiles
http://www.dab.uts.edu.au/design/graduate-show/index.html

Here is another site worth looking at: http://www.australiandesign.org.au/(A(Srm0i4OKygEkAAAANzJlNTI5ZGMtZGMwMi00NzVlLTgzODYtNjlmNGRkMWU2OTk04Bk-2FwgmsRCmYLRD5Xa2phEdGI1))/LightBoxDetail.aspx?id=134&type=spotlight&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
for more information about rising Australian Fashion Talent. It is a directory for Australian Design such as Industrial, Graphic, Landscape, Digital Media, Furniture.

>>OMG That is SO AMAZING!!! I definately have that to aim for. It just gives me less apprehension about what I can do with my degree. How do i become more like her? How can I get more motivated to achieve like her, or work as hard as her, or to have that much knowledge and contacts and freedom to move creatively?? I suppose the first thing to to tackle each thing step by step. The first thing to do complete my skirt project which is failing dismally. I may think for this time, yes, try hard, yes, get help from teachers because it shows commitment and dedication and they really mark you on that, and then make LOADS of toiles because everything goes wrong CONSTANTLY as i have realised. And I mean, take it like its school. I just dont know why i am still doubting, probably because of my parents. SO, HOW do i stop blaming my parents?

27.10.09

Stories-inspirations

The text was a short Buddhist parable about four monks who decide to meditate for seven days in a row. During that time, none of them is allowed to talk. No-one makes a sound for the whole first day, but during the night the only lamp in the room sputters and goes out. The first monk can't help himself, and shouts: 'Oh no! The light's gone out!' The second monk replies: 'Be quiet: we're not supposed to say anything!' The third monk says: 'Well if we're not supposed to talk, what are you doing?' And the fourth monk laughs and says: 'Ho ho ho! I'm the only one who hasn't talked yet: ooops!'
T One interpretation is that, if we blame other people, it's very likely that we are also to blame ourselves.

A man was leading his donkey during the night when the donkey slipped down a deep hole and couldn't get out. After trying for some time to pull it up, the man gave up and decided to fill in the hole so nobody else would fall down. He started shoveling earth down the hole onto the donkey. But when the donkey felt the earth on its back, it decided it was too young to die, and shook off the earth, and trampled it under foot. After doing this many many times, the donkey gradually got higher and higher, and finally it managed to climb out of the hole.
According to the writer, this story teaches us that when things go wrong and people seem to be throwing dirt at you, you should just treat it as a learning experience: just shake off the dirt and trample it under your feet. Every little defeat will be a small stepping stone to ultimate victory.

from UTS newspeaks

UTS Speaks, Lecture Series

UTSpeaks: China's New Rich
Understanding the forces shaping modern and future China

September 26th 2007

Recent economic reform in the People's Republic of China has seen the emergence of new categories of wealth and power widely referred to as the 'new rich' and sometimes as the 'new middle class'. This public lecture explores the hierarchies of wealth, status and power of China's emergent new rich, their place within the current class structure and perhaps most significantly, how they may figure in China's and Australia's long-term futures.
http://www.uts.edu.au/new/speaks/2007/September/2609.html

UTSpeaks: China’s Company Cultures
Sage insights on doing business with the biggest nation on earth

June 19th 2007

What must Australian enterprises know to forge rewarding partnerships with Chinese companies? How can they achieve flexibility and adaptability to work with a growing number of Chinese companies actively seeking interests in the west? This free public lecture maps the complexity of Chinese corporate life where individual companies often have cultural and political landscapes as complex and unique as that of modern China itself.

Introduced by
Professor David Goodman, UTS Deputy Vice-Chancellor International
http://www.uts.edu.au/new/speaks/2007/June/1906.html

UTSpeaks: Opening up design
Towards innovation through participation

September 22nd 2008

We live in many environments created for us by designers, architects and urban planners. But the combined forces of cultural change, the advent of digital technologies, public interactivity and globalisation are now shifting the way these creative professions operate.

Design is opening up.

In this public lecture the speakers present an exciting picture of the future of architecture and design - a future in which all of us will play an increasing role in shaping our world.
http://www.uts.edu.au/new/speaks/2008/September/2209.html

Fashion Graduate Opportunities, UTS Alumni





http://www.alumni.uts.edu.au/

From this site, I found the graphic designer for Twitter's Fail Whale illustration, YiYing Lu. She graduated from UTS Visual Communications with 1st Class Honors as well as BA Honors in Graphic Design (Exchange Studies) at Central Saint Matins (CSM). She has a widely prolific set of academic as well as industry accomplishments including lecturer at UTS, and running her own company, through to translator (English, Mandarin) for Maybelline New York and design exhibitions. Here is her LinkedIn profile. It would be a good idea to start your own. http://www.linkedin.com/in/yiyinglu


It also goes to show how successful social networking websites are in launching someone's career.

Also profiled as a successful UTS Alumi is Jesskia Allen, owner and designer of the international swimwear label, Jets. She completed a B Design in Fashion Design at UTS and progressed to postgraduate study in Tailoring at Institutio Maragoni in Milan.

Sophie Nixon, Senior Head Designer at Sass&Bide was also an Alumi of UTS. Graduating from UTS B Design in Fashion Design as a mature-age student in 2006 she had worked in various industries and undergone volunteer work experience before settling down in her current. Here is what the UTS Alumi website says:
Creative from a young age, Nixon says, "It wasn't until I travelled overseas that I realised the fashion and costume industry was where my talents could be expressed." Now Senior Designer at Australian fashion house sass & bide, Nixon worked hard for years to accrue experience in one of the most competitive industries in the world. "I worked on theatre, music video productions and TV and did a lot of volunteer work experience." She completed her B. Design in Fashion and Textiles at UTS as a mature-age student in 2006 and landed costume design work on The Boy from Oz and Priscilla Queen of the Desert shortly after - "both dazzling opportunities". Later, she cut her fashion teeth as Designer Coordinator in the launch of a new menswear fashion label, FrisoniFinetti. "It was a massive challenge - perfect for an ambitious graduate." Nixon has now been with sass & bide for two years. "I just went on an inspiration trip to Buenos Aires and we are now starting to design the next ranges for Spring/Fall 2010, which will be presented at London Fashion Week in September."
http://www.alumni.uts.edu.au/tower/001-w09/sophienixon.html

See more information on the new Creative Industries Innovation Center:
http://www.newsroom.uts.edu.au/news/detail.cfm?ItemId=14316
And the Australian Business Arts Foundation:
http://www.abaf.org.au/ provides information on business arts voluntering as well.

See also:
Where UTS graduates go: http://scmapp.itd.uts.edu.au/scm/gdsw
graduate Design show: http://www.dab.uts.edu.au/design/graduate-show/fashion.html

Below is a link to the UTS Design Graduates who have gone onto great careers. http://www.dab.uts.edu.au/design/for/future-students/graduate-profiles.html

Amanda Harvey - Bachelor of Design in Fashion & Textiles
When did you graduate?
I graduated in 1998.

What are you doing now?
For the past 3 years I have been the Senior Womenswear Designer at Wrangler
Europe. I focus mainly on denim design and the design of a Premium
collection. Plus, I have a tops designer and design assistant that report to
me. The European head office of Wrangler is based just outside Antwerp,Belgium which is where I live at the moment.

What's the best thing about the job?
I love the travel and I love working with denim, going on site to laundries
in Turkey, Poland and Italy, meeting denim mills, developing new fabrics
especially for Wrangler and being so involved in making sure the final
collection looks as I imagined.Plus I have the opportunity to work with great people from all over the world.

What's your best advice to upcoming designers?
Never feel like its impossible to work whereever and for whoever you want!
For almost 9 years now I have been living in Europe, before Belgium I was in
Italy, and if someone had said to me whilst I was studying that I would work
in Europe I would have thought that was impossible.

However, after graduating I entered a competition (one which UTS encouraged me to do!) that gave me the chance to get my foot in the door at Diesel in Italy, and even
though at times it felt like an uphill battle in another language and
culture it led to many different opportunities and experiences. Just have
confidence in what you do and really push to get yourself out there!!


See also Lee Mattews
http://www.leemathews.com.au/

Lancome colour design awards;
wards

On Tuesday 24 April 2007, Lancôme and the University of Technology, Sydney celebrated the 3rd Lancôme Colour Designs Awards at the Great Hall, Sydney University, with an opulent fashion show and black tie dinner for 150 VIP guests.

The Great Hall was transformed for the occasion: 600 fresh South American Roses were flown in to adorn tables draped in soft white organza and flanked by crystal Philippe Stark Louis ghost chairs.

On 24 November 2006, students from UTS were briefed on the inspiration behind the Spring/Summer 2007 make-up collection “Pop Cherub” for Lancôme by Gucci Westman Neville, Lancôme's talented International Director for make-up. Lancôme and UTS - Fashion & Textiles program team selected 12 students to undertake the project and present their spectacular work at the Lancôme Colour Designs Awards judging day on 19 April 2007.

The Lancôme Colour Designs Awards judging panel, comprised of Akira Isagowa, Alex Perry, Alex Zabotto-Bentley, Alison Gwilt, Arthur Galan, Belinda Seper, Gail Elliott, Jayson Brunsdon, Jody Oliver, Josh Goot, Louise Olsen, Nick Leary, Sarah-Jane Clark, Susien Chong, and Ursula Hugnagl.

Congratulations to our winners:

The Lancôme Colour Designs Award for Colour & Texture - Lee Matthews

The Lancôme Colour Designs Award for Innovation - Laura Prideaux

The Lancôme Colour Designs Award for Modern Femininity - Robby Tjia

The three winners fly to Paris, France on 19 May 2007 to participate in the Lancôme Colour Designs Awards World Final event on 22 May 2007 at the renowned Hotel Crillon. They will be accompanied by Senior lecturer in Fashion & Textiles, Val Horridge.

The world final will include 10 competing countries including France, UK and Canada.
Pictures: http://www.zeduce.org/images/fashion/lancome/lancome.htm !!!!!!!!!
Image of RAFW featuring Dion Lee, winner of the Australian Fashion Graduate of the Year award 2007

Emma Scott-Child - Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication
UTS Visual Communication graduate Emma Scott-Child has been announced a finalist in the Visual category of 2008's Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards.

The 28 year old photographer, is currently working in London working in the world of book design creating art books for the famous Damien Hirst.

When did you graduate?
2002
What have you been doing since and where are you working now?
I went from UTS straight into art directing a women's fashion
magazine, Yen. I was thrown in the deep end a bit, but I was lucky I did it because it meant I didn't have to spend years as a junior making mock ups like most designers do.

After that I freelanced as an art director and designed Black+White magazine, and started SummerWinter Magazine with a group of other mag lovers.

I ran my own studio in Sydney for a few years mainly doing work for fashion brands
like Industrie and Mossimo and lots of album covers. Then as an art director at Spin Communications I designed campaigns for Portmans and
Lee.

For the last 18 months I've been living in London working for POP Magazine, Man About Town and with Damien Hirst designing art books.

What industry recognition have you been awarded thus far?
I won two AGDA awards in 2006 for Magazine Design and Packaging Design.

Also in 2006 I won the British Council's Realise Your Dream Award which brought me to London and most recently I won the Qantas Spirit of Youth Award.

I think the best achievements though are finishing projects that make you feel good and that you're proud of.

What's your favourite thing about your job?
I'm quite sentimental - so having something at the end of a project that you can hold in your hand and say, 'I made that' is really nice. That's what I love about print design, I'm slowly filling a bookshelf with my life's work.

What did you get out of the course at UTS?
It made me look at things in a different way, jumping straight into a project usually leads you down the most obvious path, so I learnt the value of conceptualising right from the beginning.

I had some good lecturers who would question everything we did "Why is it blue? Why is it square? Why that typface?" so you had to have reasons for every aspect of your design. This is SO valuable for real commercial jobs because clients ask all of those questions and you need to have answers for them all.

What's some advice to upcoming students?
Listen to your lecturers no matter how daft they sound. We had a guy who everyone thought was insane but his lectures had us thinking and arguing for the rest of the week and I still remember them.

Think of graduating as the beginning of something, not the end of something. It's when the real work begins. For my final project I had six months to design a magazine, then in my first job I had less than a month to do it all again.

Remember that no one expects you to be an expert straight away. You're more to likely impress people with creative enthusiasm and a willingness to learn than knowing every typeface of the 20th century off by heart.
http://www.emmascottchild.com./
http://www.emmascottchild.com./emmascottchild-portfolio.pdf

Yiying Lu - Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication

Photo by Starry Image
When did you graduate?
I graduated from UTS in 2007.

What have you been doing since?
I have been running my own illustration & graphic design studio Yiying Lu. I'm also a design academic/tutor at the UTS.

One of my best-known works so far is the iconic Fail Whale illustration for social networking service Twitter, which has been recently featured in the New York Times Magazine and on CNN.

Since graduating from UTS, I have also been fortunate enough to be named one of 100 Emerging Leaders in Innovation by The Weekend Australian and have attended its presentation ceremony hosted by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, at Parliament House in Canberra.

I was also awarded first place in Design category of the Shorty Awards, held in New York in early 2009.

In 2008 I won the Gold Award in the "TransLocalMotion" Shanghai Biennale - International Students Exhibition in Shanghai, China and Best Student Portfolio winner in Desktop Create Awards in Melbourne, Australia.

What's the best thing about your job?
What I love about being a designer is always being inspired, getting new ideas and connecting with people via designs.

What's your best memory during your time at UTS?
1) Living in UTS housing. It was a fun & friendly place to live.
2) Being awarded AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) distinction student award in digital media
3) Being able to go exchange at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London which was a wonderful experience.

What's your advice to current design students?
Have a smile on the mind and be passionate of what you do. If sometimes you're running out of ideas or inspirations do something different - go and buy a new CD or head to the park. If you're in a generally good state of mind, it's much easier to be creative and enjoy the process.

What's good about studying in Australia?

Australia is a diverse and exciting country. Apart from being a great place to get a good education, it provides a safe, welcoming and multicultural living environment. It also offers great climates & opportunities for fantastic travel and sightseeing experiences throughout the country.


Jenny Mercian - Bachelor of Fashion & Textiles

Jenny Mercian Backstage at
Victoria's Secrets Show
When did you graduate?
I graduated in 2001.

What are you doing now?
I am about to head to London to further my career in Haute Couture
which is my passion. I am also about to commence work on another Victoria's
Secret show, designing and hand crafting one off creations.

What companies have you worked alongside?
I've worked for companies such as Swarovski international,
Victoria's Secret and MAC cosmetics creating special couture jewelled pieces
for shows and adverting campaigns.

What's the best thing about the job?
Creative freedom. I am lucky that my clients have total faith in my
designing and making abilities, they let me go crazy with my ideas. I do
have briefs to follow, but the rest is up to me, which is fantastic as a
designer.

What's your best advice to upcoming designers?
My best advice to an upcoming designer is to have someone you trust
to handle the business side of things, so you can focus your energy on
creating, which is extremely important for the business and for yourself.
http://media.smh.com.au/executive-style/top-line-living/designing-for-victorias-secret-305148.html?sy=smh&source=smh.com.au%2Flifestyle%2Fdesign%2F



Donna Sgro - Bachelor of Design in Fashion & Textiles

Work From Donna's Strange Games
Spring/Summer 2008/09 Collection
When did you graduate?
I finished my course at the end of 2006, graduated May 2007.

Tell us a little about where you've been since UTS
Upon leaving UTS I was keen to start my own fashion label so I've been working at getting this established since early 2007.

Starting my own business had been a long term goal before starting the course at UTS. I have been on a steep business learning curve ever since!

What are you doing now?
I am still working at building my business and expanding my skills. I am currently organising production for my second commercial range of garments for Spring/Summer 2008/09.

What's the best thing about your career currently?
The best thing about my career is that it is self-directed and I am in a position where I can design products that have a unique and individual aesthetic.

What's your advice to up and coming fashion students?
Take the opportunity to learn, experiment and research as much as possible through the course at UTS so you can build a great portfolio by the time you leave.

I also found it really helpful to do some work experience while I was at uni, to gain an insight of what goes on in the day to day fashion world in Sydney.

To find out more about Donna Sgro, visit her website donnasgro.com or check out her recent interview on 2threads.
http://http://www.2threads.com/video.php?id=242

18.10.09

garçons et fleurs: IFM- Fashion Business ideas

garçons et fleurs: IFM- Fashion Business ideas
http://www.ifm-paris.com/asp/en2/econ_etud_3_0.asp

IFM- Fashion Business ideas

3 AREAS OF INTERVENTION TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS

Our take on the competitiveness of companies : what is generally called into
question or needs to be adjusted originates in the gap between the existing offer or brand identity one the one hand and the motivations and expectations of the market on the other.

Markets run along rules that bring together sociological, economic, cultural and
geographic dimensions… in addition to the individual dimension of the client (be it
companies or consumers). However, gaps appear naturally from one season to the next in all of the markets that are subject to fashion and fluctuating trends.
It is thus necessary to carry out complete or partial surveys of brand or company identity and the businesses that run them by first asking three questions : What are the
perceptions of the market according to client segments and the main impression given by the brand or company’s identity ? What can be diagnosed in relation to the products offered by the company and its competitiveness ? What action needs to be taken ?

Using these introductory questions as a basis, IFM / Market research & Consulting organizes its analysis and recommendations, elaborated from a strategic or operational angle, along three lines of intervention :


1. ANTICIPATE THE FUTURE WITH A STRATEGIC VISION

How is the strategic environment of the company evolving?
What are the consequences and what lessons must be learned ?
What are the gaps between your identity and the positioning perceived by your target market ?
What are the targets and positioning that would maximize your impact and boost your turnover ?
What are the offers that are seen as the alternative to yours ?
What are their strengths and weaknesses ?
What relevance and legitimacy in terms of activity and brand image do diversification and range extension have ?
In a new market, what are the existing offers, what do the consumers of fashion and
design products want ?



In order to answer your questions, IFM / Market Research & Consulting uses the very latest investigative and explorative tools, in order to gauge how the current territories of legitimacy, client sensibility and prospects will react to the changes envisaged.


2. MANAGE COMPANIES, OFFERS AND BRANDS ON AN OPERATIONAL LEVEL

In a changing environment, the way you run your business is constantly being called into question.
Is your range of products in line with the identity defined, its positioning and the changes in the market ? Is your product and brand narrative correctly perceived by the consumers and clients ?

Is your pricing policy correct, in accordance with the perception of the offer and the
references ? Do the points-of-sale truly express the brand ? Do the signs given carry
the brand’s identity ?
What are the main competitors on the market and what are the differentiating elements
appreciated by the clients?


IFM / Market Research & Consulting proposes operational answers within the framework of the strategic global vision of the company ? A rational approach is the best complement to the sensibility and intuition of your teams.


3. ANTICIPATE THE IMPACT OF ECONOMIC, POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE

IFM / Market Research & Consulting covers the overall environment that surrounds
a company as well as its own specific issues.

What impact have the changes in consumption and distribution had on the sector ? What influence do socio-demographic changes have?

What are the consequences of the globalization of trade? How do the bilateral free-trade agreements influence the flow of products and skills, and as such competitiveness? What adaptations are companies forced to make due to macro-economic changes?

What means must be deployed by a country, region or geographical zone in order
to elaborate an ambitious industrial policy and actively promote this?

At the heart of the sector, IFM / Market Research & Consulting makes its economic intelligence, the result of its privileged role as « guardian» of the profession, available to companies and institutions and offers recommendations for action that are adapted to your environment.

http://www.ifm-paris.com/asp/en2/econ_etud_3_0.asp

17.10.09

Vogue France

http://www.vogue.fr/

French Vogue. 

The Sartorialist et Garance Doré

Totally unrelated web purusings and came to a site that said they were dating. Weird eh?

THE SARTORIALIST
awesome pictures of how high/low fashion is put together in practise. 

























GARANCE DORÉ
http://www.garancedore.fr/en/
Her website telling of her experiences at shows etc. She is an illustrator. 

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