Designs by Ella Thornbury (left) and Lei Deng (right)
It’s been three years in the making, but the AUT iconic final-year fashion show was well worth the wait.
The dynamic showcase of student fashion collections drew from an eclectic range of inspirations from historical references, Avant Garde textiles, utilitarian uniforms, cultural heritage, mid-century workwear, and more speculative future forms.
The highly anticipated 2022 runway showcased the exceptional work of students whose design and practical skills were honed during a period characterised by travel restrictions, lockdowns and physical isolation.
The evening saw a selection of 32 third-year students of AUT Bachelor of Design, majoring in fashion, show their final collections to a 300-strong audience made up of friends, family, and industry.
“It has been a number of years since our fashion students have been able to present their work on models on a live runway, and as many other graduates this year, our students began their degree course just weeks before the start of the pandemic,” says AUT senior lecturer Andreas Mikellis.
“The recurring disruptions of the past few years offered our students an opportunity to develop greater resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity. Taking these skills onboard, they responded by producing some extraordinary work.
“The 2022 Graduate Fashion Show reflected this by showing work that pushed the boundaries of design innovation while simultaneously responding to our current environmental and social issues.
“This was a glimpse of the next generation of fashion designers and feedback from media and industry was universally positive, with students being considered for roles within leading NZ fashion labels.”
Featuring 33 models from Unique and Vanity Walk, as well as 20 hair and make-up artists from Cut Above, in recognition of the esteem held for AUT’s emerging designers, industry guests included Zambesi, Federation, Taylor, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Wyn Hamlyn, and Workshop.
Designs by Celia Thomson (left) and Callum Forbes-Day (right)
Designs by Fenella Sigianto (left) and Sheetol Chawla (right)
Designs by Hannah Roberts (left) and Laura Fereday (right)
Design by Madison Pescini
Design by Melody Zijing Liu
Design by Kareena Masters
Design by Hannah Kate McGuffog
Images supplied