Fashion Graduate Show –
Fashion & Event Management

Community &
Industry Partner

Various

Hackathon / Competition and Events

University

Curtin University

Innovative Features

Coach or mentor elements
Co-designed with industry or community
Scalable and sustainable
Engages with SME’s

Enablers

The key enablers of the Curtin Fashion Graduate Show include:

Well established partnerships with industry connections and SME’s.
Academic staff members involvement and engagement in industry activities.
Industry willing to contribute time, advice, mentoring and finance.
Manageable student numbers (approximately 20 students annually).

For more information

Please contact Anne Farren a.farren@curtin.edu.au

The Curtin Graduate Fashion Show (2015)

The Curtin Graduate Fashion Show (2016)

Curtin Fashion students present their collections at the Curtin Fashion Graduate Show, which they also organise. Students are responsible for managing the event, organising catering, securing a venue, communicating with venue operators, event presentation and design, and designing and making their own collection for the fashion show.

Event management positions are created using authentic position descriptions. Students apply for the positions and undergo a formal recruitment process. Once positions are in place, arrangements are made for the management and oversight of the event. The event involves formal invitations to VIPs and promotion of the event to relevant stakeholders. Tickets are sold as a way of collecting funds. The event involves catering, design of the stage, special effects and lighting. Students experience the dynamics and stresses associated with organising a fashion show as well as the complexity of dealing with multiple stakeholders.

Preliminary planning for the event is finalised at the completion of Semester One. Students attend a weekly one-hour meeting and additional two-hours per week is expected for organisation of the event. In addition, students spend many hours creating their own fashion collection and rehearsing for the Fashion Show. In the final semester, students spend a minimum of 3 hours per week for 17 weeks working on their various roles to ensure the success of the Curtin Fashion Graduate Show.

Impact / outcomes

Students: The Curtin Fashion Graduate is a major industry event, it is seen as a premium annual fashion show across the fashion sector. It profiles students in industry and provides networks and engagement opportunities for students to communicate directly with people within the fashion industry. A prestigious award is selected by industry for the ‘Emerging Designer’. The Fashion Show assists students to develop a portfolio of images and media from the event that can be used directly when sourcing employment post university.

Industry: industry partners are keen to contribute to the development of young fashion designers and to attend the event to see the students collections.

Teaching Staff: The Curtin Fashion Graduate Show promotes and markets the course to potential students and industry alike.

Student Assessment

Students are required to produce a report reviewing their role and engagement in the Curtin Graduate Fashion Show management.

Evaluation

The event is evaluated based on how successfully it is run, and whether there are any major incidences or not. Media response to the event is also monitored and anecdotal feedback from industry is collated.