Ashleigh Huntley of Menai High School models her creation "Thrifty Flapper" in 2009
Photo: Stuart Humphreys
© Australian Museum
Students entering the Australian Museum's fashion design competition are encouraged to mark the International Year of Biodiversity by designing sustainable pieces inspired by the shapes, colours and textures of Australian animals.
The Museum's annual Fashion Less Waste competition has categories for both high school and tertiary (TAFE, university and design school) students.
Students can design and/or make their entries during a class activity. Alternatively, students can develop and submit an entry independently, at home.
Entries should "strongly and obviously make a point that biodiversity and sustainable fashion are wonderful and wanted", according to the competition guidelines.
The outfit must be entirely, or mostly, made from materials that were originally bought and used for a non-clothing purpose. Suggestions include discarded DVDs, video or audio tape, chicken wire, fly screen, wall paper, tea towels, kitchenware, cutlery, plastic bags, hessian bags, office supplies, polystyrene packing, and car-seat belts. Materials that aren't kerbside recyclable will be "thought of highly".
"Before you start, take a walk outside, browse books and websites or visit the Museum," organisers advise. "Be inspired by Australian animals, living or extinct. Let the shapes and/or colours and/or textures of one or more of them influence your design in clearly visible ways."
The judges, who are involved in the eco-fashion movement, will assess every entry with regards to:
- originality
- style
- proportion of materials that were originally used for a non-clothing purpose
- craftsmanship.
Bianca Foley and Hayley Orbell with the model of their winning 2009 creation "White Trash" Photo: Stuart Humphreys © Australian Museum
Fashion Less Waste debuted in 2009, inspired by the Museum's Climate Change: our future, our choice exhibition.
The 2009 Tertiary category winner "White Trash" by Bianca Foley and Hayley Orbell from ESMOD Australia (a fashion design institute in Sydney), was made from the base of a tent, medical gloves, recycled garbage bags, white industrial tarpaulin cut outs, metallic spray paint, staples, a drop sheet and a table cloth.
Ashleigh Huntley of Menai High School won the Secondary School category for her creation, "Thrifty Flapper". Her 1920's-inspired outfit was made from a plastic table cloth, curtains, newspaper, plastic bags, synthetic flowers, paddle pop sticks, wire, washers and metal nuts.
The Fashion Less Waste 2010 competition closes on 6 April. The awarded outfits will go on temporary public display at The Strand Arcade in Sydney, and at the Museum at a later date.
Visit the Australian Museum website for details.