welcome to the academy of design
Coast conference showcases cotton
Melissa Townsend | August 12th, 2010
EVER heard the one about the designer who turned a towel into a piece of high couture evening wear? Students from the Academy of Design did just that yesterday at the 15th Australian Cotton Conference at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the result was stunning. Models clad in 100 per cent Australian-made cotton showcased the innovative creations, as well as the new range of cotton shirts by Fletcher Jones and Koala Blue's latest range of towels.
Academy director Rycki Symons said six students were selected to come up with a towel couture collection with one aimto shock.''We decided to go somewhere that towels would never go,'' he said.''Innovation is a very big part of this conference and our job was to come and shock everybody.''I love the cotton couture collectionit was very cheeky, the colour palette was beautiful and watching people's reactions was hilarious.''Student designer Christina Faraonio, 18, came up with an eye-catching blue creation worn by model Stephanie Rayner.''It was really random making a couture dress out of towels but my inspiration was from a flower,'' said Miss Faraonio.''I made a simple asymmetrical strapless design and finished it off with some gathering on the side and nice beading to accentuate her small waist.
Cotton Australia communications manager David Bone said the Australian cotton industry had battled through drought and the global financial crisis but was undergoing a rebirth.''We don't often get to say 100 per cent Australian cotton and 100 Australian-made because it's been a long time since we've had Australian manufacturing,'' he said.''The majority of Australian cotton is exported and made into products overseas, but we're very keen, because we have such a quality product in Australia, to re-invigorate the manufacturing industries in Australia,'' he said.''We expect to see a much larger crop than in previous years about two million bales will be produced in Australia this year which is worth about $1 billion to the Australian economy.''
