Shitting on about Fashions and stuff...

When i got the acceptance letter for Diploma in Fashion Design I definitely ummed and arrrred over weather or not i should go back. After studying the certificate course part-time and having a few extra-ciricular unfortunate circumstances occour over my break, it wasn't an easy choice to make. The long hours, backbreaking workload and loss of social contact were at the forefront of my mind. Should I or shouldn't I? Great question. But the reality of the situation was I could sit on the couch smashing bongs and feeling sorry for my sad ass - or I could get up and get back to it.

So I did. After some slight time-table and sewing machine bridging course misunderstandngs, some swearing and name calling of a certain Admin staff member & the purchase of a watch (seems like i need one) i finally seemed to come to terms with being back in the mixing pot. It was great. Already after a week my illustrations have improved 10 fold, I've learn't the basics of patternmaking, industry standard sewing, screen-printing onto fabric, been given a crash course in photoshop and done my first life-drawing class without giggling at the wang in my face. They wern't lying when they said it was Fashion Design boot-camp. The course is made to make-or -break your career in the industry.

One of the things i noticed whilst chatting with the other lads and ladies, was how many people had been studing at other Insitutions (FBI, UTS, Whitehouse) and how already, after a week they knew they were in the right place to learn.
That made me think though, how many young students are out there wasting money (up to $60 000 a year - Whitehouse) for a second (or maybe 3rd) rate education. Tafe annual fee's for a year come to just under $3000, which is still alot of money to come up with - but obviously nothing close to Whitehouse. Anybody who has studied Fashion Design anywhere knows that its expensive - printing eqipment, fabrics, paper, pantones, inks, paints etc and its very difficult to be able to afford these things on a weekly basis. But with fee's going through the roof at all these private collages, who on earth can afford all this!
I'll tell you who, kids from very weathly familys. And this is why Australian fashion has taken a turn for the - boring -. The majority of students passing through the halls at these private institutions don't have big bright idea's for the future of fashion. They just want to finish their degree, get some kind of middle market design job, become a trend slave and make lots of money.

Well props to you TAFE, for giving us poor fella's a go. Without you we would be without such Australian greats like Romance was Born, Dion Lee, Alex Perry, Akira Isogawa, Michelle Jank, Nicky Zimmermann, Marnie Skillings and Gary Bigeni.

Oh, and did i mention that Dion Lee is teaching now?

 Some Pics from TAFE Runway 2010