Cutting-edge fashion doesn’t have to cost the earth, and the class of ‘22 from UTS Fashion and Textiles are proving just that. Check out the collections that wowed at the UTS graduate fashion show, and meet four up-and-coming designers who are taking on the sustainability challenge.
No Boys Allowed by Evangeline Grzesik
Evangeline Grzesik's 2022 UTS graduate fashion collection, 'No Boys Allowed'. Designer: Evangeline Grzesik. Creative Director: Alix Higgins. Photographer and Videographer: Teel Studios. Beauty: Sean Brady. Hair: Fernando Miranda. Talent: Charli Hutchinson (Priscillas).
When you think of women’s lingerie, winged models winking to the camera likely appear in the mind’s eye. Evangeline Grzesik’s turning that narrative on its head, approaching her sustainable lingerie collection through the female gaze.
Having worked in a lingerie boutique, she knows what the customer wants: “pieces that make the wearer feel confident and comfortable.”
What does this look like? Wide gussets, different levels of coverage and breathable fibres that embrace the wearer’s body – without causing discomfort.
Inspired by archival 1980s lingerie, Evangeline’s collection hints at the era’s iconic features such as cutaway briefs, high-sheen fibres and frills. However, unlike the synthetic materials that dominated the eighties, she wants the wearer to feel confident that their lingerie has been crafted without harmful chemicals or exploitative manufacturing processes.
I am passionate about creating heirloom pieces that are constructed to last.
Evangeline Grzesik
Combining zero to low-waste production with naturally dyed and ethically sourced fibres, Evangeline strives to empower the wearer with long-lasting pieces while leaving a minimal environmental impact.
See more of her work @evangeline.grzesik
Performing Opulence by Eloise Coleman
Eloise Coleman 's 2022 UTS graduate fashion collection, 'Performing Opulence'. Designer: Eloise Coleman. Creative Director: Alix Higgins. Photographer and Videographer: Teel Studios. Beauty: Sean Brady. Hair: Fernando Miranda. Talent: Jordan Farrenkothen (Priscillas).
Many of us are familiar with the saying ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, but have you ever looked at an antique chandelier and thought it would make the perfect embellishment for your evening wear? Eloise Coleman has.
Unafraid of combining materials and techniques not commonly seen in fashion, her collection explores the opulence and exaggeration of the red carpet while uncovering innovative ways to repurpose items destined for council cleanup.
My collection is focused on the use of repurposed chandeliers, giving the antique pieces a new life.
Eloise Coleman
Combining masculine tailoring with feminine silhouettes, she aims to transport the viewer to a realm of decadence and sophistication.
See more of her work @eloisebristowe
A Memoir of Scent by Yueqi Li
Yueqi Li's 2022 UTS graduate fashion collection, 'A Memoir of Scent'. Designer: Yueqi Li. Creative Director: Alix Higgins. Photographer and Videographer: Teel Studios. Beauty: Sean Brady. Hair: Fernando Miranda. Talent: Ethan Geary Henderson , Molly Rowe (Priscillas).
Has a scent ever reminded you of a place or a person? For Yueqi Li, it was the smell of her grandmother that inspired her collection.
She’s been investigating how textiles can communicate history and memory using environmentally-friendly materials and natural techniques.
There’s more to her collection than meets the eye though – after dying the fabric with plants their smell remains, she seals it with beeswax to maintain its original scent.
See more of her work @kk77o_oo
Where Did Ivy Go? by Ivy Whiteman
Ivy Whiteman’s 2022 UTS graduate fashion collection, 'Where Did Ivy Go?'. Designer: Ivy Whiteman. Creative Director: Alix Higgins. Photographer and Videographer: Teel Studios. Beauty: Sean Brady. Hair: Fernando Miranda. Talent: Reem Elnour (Priscillas)
If you’re looking for joy and vibrancy, don’t miss Ivy Whiteman’s collection.
She uses a mix of natural dyes and raffia weaving techniques to explore the hidden worlds and details within our natural environment.
I’d love to help people express themselves and push towards a more sustainable, ethical landscape.
Ivy Whiteman
Ivy aims to contribute to an ethical fashion landscape where no one’s negatively impacted and “we can all just have fun and dress up.” Her collection achieves that, transporting the wearer into a playful, tropical world.
See more of her work @ivy.sayan
Lead gallery credits: Photography by Liam Mahoney, Teel Studios. Student collections in order of gallery appearance: Aiden Debono ‘Vestige’, Colleen Zhang ‘Wanderlust’, Ellie McFadden ‘ELLIE MCFADDEN X SUSTAINABILITY X SKATE CULTURE’, Evangeline Grzesik ‘No Boys Allowed’, Jason Clark ‘Body out of Bounds’, Yonglin Yang ‘The C+M space’, Amy Mitchell ‘submerge’, Charlotte Markson ‘A Handcrafted Place’, Deanna Politis ‘Maroula’, Eloise Coleman ‘Performing Opulence’, Holly Reid ‘Vibrating Colours’, Ivy Whiteman ‘Where did ivy go?’, Katrina Tomlinson Gils ‘Some sort of a girl’, ‘Lili Masterton ‘LILU’, Olivia Okely ‘Australis Femina’, Ross Fletcher ‘It’s a tender proposition’, Soniyah Doughty ‘A memoir of preservation’, Yueqi Li ‘A Memoir of Scent’ and Yutong Zhong ‘Re-bloom’.