Dreams, Knits & Heartbreak documentary premieres on campus

Dreams, Knits & Heartbreak documentary premieres on campus

Industry, alumni, peers and staff were welcomed back to campus for the premiere of ‘Dreams, Knits & Heartbreak’ – a documentary following three RMIT students’ journeys to the National Graduate Showcase.

It was a night of celebration and triumph for graduates Amy Lawrance, Phoebe Pendergast-Jones and Olivia Fagan, whose collections were selected for the National Graduate Showcase for Melbourne Fashion Festival.

The three RMIT graduates from the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (Honours) were three of only ten students selected across Australia.

Filmed over three months, the documentary captured the excitement, stress, emotion and passion of submitting a collection during a pandemic.

Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles, Professor Robyn Healy said the event was particularly special after a challenging 2020.

“We were all dressed up for the 2020 National Graduate Showcase and I got a text telling us that the parade had been cancelled,” Healy said.

“RMIT is renowned for having the latest technology, including our digital embroidery machine and laser cutters, but when you’re studying from home and the campus is closed, the graduates couldn’t access that.

“The students became incredibly supportive of each other and shared resources going through an incredibly difficult time.

“We also saw the growth of diversity, as our students were designing for the people they lived with; they were designing for different ages and shapes, considering fashion for an everyday world.

Robyn Healy Dean of School of Fashion Textiles, Professor Robyn Healy speaking at the premiere screening of Dreams, Knits & Heartbreak

In attendance were representatives from Nike, Country Road, Melbourne Fashion Festival, and the vast community of RMIT fashion alumni.

A highlight was the announcement that Pendergast-Jones had been accepted into a Masters program at Parsons School of Design in New York – a secret she had kept from her peers in the audience.

You can read more about their collections here and watch the digital runaway here.

 

Story: Caleb Scanlon

26 March 2021

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26 March 2021

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RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

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