In December two of Australia’s emerging fashion designers were awarded the Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) scholarship award, placing them firmly on our radar of designers-to-watch. Winners will receive a financial grant and a six-month internship with a global fashion powerhouse in New York or Europe.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 19: pose during the Australian Fashion Foundation Awards 2016/17 on December 19, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for AUSFF)

 

This year’s recipients La Trobe Melbourne graduate and womenswear designer, Deanna Fanning and UTS Sydney Honours graduate Hannah Tan for the menswear section were selected from a panel of judges including AUSFF co-founder Malcolm Carfrae (Founder, Carfrae Consulting) alongside fashion stylist and icon Brana Wolf; fashion designer Dion Lee; Kellie Hush (Editor-in-Chief, Harper’s BAZAAR); Laura Brown (Editor-In-Chief, InStyle US); fashion consultant and former VOGUE editor Nancy Pilcher, and Kara Hurry (Consultant). founder Malcolm Carfrae.

“Deanna and Hannah both showed a strong, original point of view, and presented collections that were inspiring and exciting,” said AUSFF co-founder Malcolm Carfrae. “They presented and marketed their work with professionalism and a keen sense of innovation.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 19: (L-R) Nancy Pilcher, Kara Hurry, Kellie Hush, Malcolm Carfrae, Laura Brown, Brana Wolf and Dion Lee pose during the Australian Fashion Foundation Awards 2016/17 on December 19, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for AUSFF)

 

Previous winners have received internship experiences with Calvin Klein in New York, Alexander McQueen in London and LVMH in Paris – experiences that might seem unattainable for young Australian designers otherwise. In addition, they will have the opportunity travel to Hong Kong and meet with industry experts at The Woolmark Company’s new Hong Kong Wool Resource Centre. This will allow the two designers the chance to discover the latest innovations in wool, followed by a guided tour of China’s key manufacturers, spinners and weavers.

“It is a really important gateway for young designers and recent graduates, to have the opportunity like what we have been given is a lot harder without initiatives like the Australian Fashion Foundation,” explains Fanning.

Deanna Fanning presented a collection inspired in knitwear and oversized shapes. “The collection is a reflection on my childhood when I’d watch my grandmother and grand aunty sewing in the garage wearing big knitted jumpers as they did it… I wanted to combine the exaggerated silhouettes that they were making with casual knitwear,” she says.

For menswear designer Hannah Tan, her approach included mixing traditional shapes and methods with modern ones. Tan presented her graduate collection from her Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles at the University of Technology Sydney that combines elements of deconstructivsm and traditional Japanese silhouettes.

“I included things like unfinished hems, exposed seams, deliberate holes and used the method of machine felting to achieve this” says Tan who is inspired by provocative designers for their time, Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto and Maison Margiela.

The Australian Fashion Foundation Awards are open to any fashion professional including designers, photographers, stylists, writers, and art directors that meet the criteria.