The fashionable faces of some of our most prominent local labels all have one thing in common – their enviable careers started at TAFE SA.
AMELIA YEEND: MUSEHAUS
Who is your customer?
As a designer and a brand, I align myself with those who embrace colour, eccentricity and individuality in fashion. Those who want to experiment with different silhouettes and enjoy wearable art – and want to stand out and make a statement with what they are wearing.
Who/what influences you?
I am greatly influenced by designers such as Annakiki, AREA, Vivienne Westwood and Kansai Yamamoto, and eras such as the glam rock and punk scene of the late ’70s and ’80s. Collage is an art medium I am inspired by and often [use] to develop ideas – Luca Mainini is my favourite collage artist. I draw a lot of inspiration from his work and his use of colour and composition.
Have you always been creative?
I always enjoyed and excelled in subjects like visual art and drama in school, and I was very creative at home too –either drawing, painting or collaging big visual boards with fashion cut outs from magazines. I always loved clothes, and everything changed for me once I learnt how to sew in high school. It quickly became my favourite creative medium, but I never considered that it could turn into a career until I met someone who had just begun studying the TAFE SA fashion course and raved about how much they enjoyed it! I immediately enrolled for mid-year entry, and the rest is history.
What did you learn in your TAFE SA course that you use in your everyday?
I now work full time as a Production Coordinator and Garment Technician, so I use the tech packing and CAD technical drawing skills. I also use all of the advanced sewing and pattern draping techniques [when creating] for [my label] MUSEHAUS.
CRISTINA TRIDENTE: COUTURE+LOVE+MADNESS
Who/what Influences you?
For collections, my primary influences are born from fabrics that I find and love. I design based on or from the fabric – I know some designers do the opposite and design silhouettes then choose fabrics, but generally I won’t buy a fabric unless I have some idea of what I’m going to make with it. I’m also influenced by everyday objects and nature; photographs and images are also important to me, as is architecture. I feel there really are a lot of similarities between the two disciplines.
Have you always been creative?
I have always been creative or creating in some capacity for as long as I can remember! I loved art classes and activities growing up and started making clothes for my Barbie dolls when I was five years old. I also started my own jewellery business when I was eight, which [I continued] for 10 years. The jewellery was sold in some of Adelaide’s top boutiques.
What did you learn in your TAFE SA course that you use in your everyday?
I use all of the basics and principles that I learned during my time at TAFE SA! All of the technical skills I learnt during my time at TAFE SA have created a strong foundation for me and for my business. I still have such a great relationship with many of the lecturers and still often reach out for advice. It was a great course and is still a great community.
What has been your career highlight so far?
At the risk of sounding corny, it really is working with my clients every day. I love doing what I do, it is a true privilege to do what you love. Working with celebrities on the red carpet is very exciting, but my everyday clients looking and feeling happy is what keeps me going forward and evolving.
ABBY POTTER: HOUSE OF CAMPBELL
Who is your customer?
She is a fashion aficionado who is not motivated by trends. Instead, she wants to embrace narrative driven fashion and to tell her own story, her way, through her key investment pieces. She is confident and daring. She dresses for herself, not the gaze of another person.
Describe your style.
I am very drawn to a particular kind of soft ness and playfulness – I love to bring some romance into my personal style. From there, I like to take that romantic aesthetic and contrast that softness against pieces that are still practical and not fussy. It is an approach that is quite unusual against a mainstream fashion backdrop and creates a sense of understated drama – I mean, who doesn’t want to make a statement?
What did you learn in your TAFE SA studies that you use in your everyday?
So many things! You gain a large and diverse range of skills and knowledge that are vital to everyday life in the fashion industry, but I would say understanding the fundamentals of the product development process was most essential.
What has been your career highlight so far?
I feel very grateful to have collected some beautiful memories since entering the industry, but debuting House of Campbell’s first collection on the runway at New York Fashion Week is definitely one I am still pinching myself over!
SCOTT FAULDER: JOURNEY BEYOND
Describe your style.
As a contemporary Australian men’s wear designer, my creative style is deeply rooted in the Australian landscape and I regularly draw inspiration from it. I gravitate towards the enduring quality of natural, rugged materials, such as leather, moleskin and denim – materials that have a history of longevity. I prefer clean lines with a minimalist utilitarian aesthetic that feels timeless.
Who/what influences you?
When it comes to fashion and a collection, influence can come from anywhere. But when it comes to my career it would be my father and my late mother. They are/were very bold and adventurous people in their own right; they challenged me but let me be me and grow into the person I am today.
What did you learn in your TAFE SA course that you use in your everyday?
I studied the Advanced Diploma Fashion Design and Technology and the Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design at TAFE SA. The skills I learnt enabled me to become the designer I am today. But it was the hands-on approach to fashion design that made me a good designer, to be able to understand the full effects that design decisions cause throughout the production and supply chain.
What has been your career highlight so far?
I have been fortunate to have a few! Designing the uniforms for Team Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, and at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo, as well as designing a special uniform for the MSQueen Elizabeth operated by Cunard Line.
GET THERE
TAFE SA’s fashion courses offer pathways into the industry or to a bachelor’s degree in partnership with Flinders University. Students learn and work in specialist design studios and workshops, which replicate the real world ensuring they are job ready when they graduate.
The courses are hands-on and focus on developing practical skills in pattern-making, digital design and garment construction, as well as learning about the business side of the fashion industry.
TAFE SA’s fashion courses include:
– Certificate III in Applied Fashion Design and Technology (MST30819)
– Diploma of Apparel, Fashion and Textiles (MST50122)
– Bachelor of Creative Arts (Fashion) delivered in partnership with Flinders University
– Bachelor of Creative Arts (Costume Design) delivered in partnership with Flinders University.
Applications for 2024 are open now. For more information, visit tafesa.edu.au/fashion