Students’ journey from high school to high fashion

Western suburbs students can stitch and sew their way to glory this September when they take part in the annual Fashion Awards Australia.

The event will have hundreds of budding fashion designers from high schools throughout the west presenting their best pieces before an adoring audience. Awards for best outfits in a range of categories will help their designers become recognised as someone to watch in the fashion industry.

Awards organiser Heather Marcus said Fashion Awards Australia had grown from a Wyndham-only event to become a western suburbs institution.

“It’s important because there is nothing like it anywhere else in Australia,” Ms Marcus said.

“The people of the west have embraced this event so strongly because they know that we have so many talented young students in the area.”

As well as high school students, TAFE students will also be taking part.

Ms Marcus said a win for TAFE students at Fashion Awards Australia would help create career pathways. “One of the reasons we do this is that we want to ensure that once students finish their TAFE studies they are able to find employment,” she said.

While the event has become synonymous with the west, Ms Marcus said that next year it would expand to include Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. “The east and west will both have their own events and then we’ll have another event that combines the two sides of Melbourne.”

The Fashion Awards are at Lakeside Banquet and Convention Centre, Taylors Lakes, on Friday, September 12.

Details: www.fashionawardsaustralia.org