A little staple of Merino
In the hands of design students, the ‘little dress' is pushing the boundaries of Australian Merino wool innovation
For the third consecutive year, AWI is working with RMIT University to ensure final-year students in the Bachelor of Arts Textile Design are aware of the benefits and versatility of Australian Merino wool.
The 2006 concept for the AWI–RMIT Design Awards was the ‘little dress'. The challenge for students was to design and construct the ultimate little dress, along the lines of the ‘little black dress', which has become synonymous with classic style and is now a staple in most designer collections.
Students developed a trans-seasonal collection of fabrics, as part of an Australian Merino wool promotional package. All students were encouraged to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity and to explore multiple textile surface design and construction techniques.
For students majoring in print, the focus was on the ‘little printed dress'. Printing styles included engineered motifs and fabric repeat-lengths utilising dyes and resist-inks combined with patchwork, appliqué, embroidery and surface embellishment. Students worked with pure Australian Merino wool lightweight jersey and various woven fabrics.
For students majoring in constructed textiles it was either the ‘little knitted dress' or the ‘little woven dress'. Students developed knitted and woven fabric structures and combined these with embellishment and decorative techniques. Students worked with a range of wool-cotton blend and pure Australian Merino yarns.
Twenty-five RMIT textile design students entered the awards by developing and presenting a ‘Promotional Merino Wool Package' that included:
- a promotional board on Australian Merino wool yarn or fabric;
- a concept board;
- a promotional marketing concept book;
- fabric swatches and lengths dependent on the student's specialist area; and
- garments, including a little printed dress, little knitted dress or little woven dress.
The winners of the competition were:
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Nell Oliver – Best Fabric Promotional Package for Surface Pattern |
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Lahni Copeland – Best Yarn Promotional Package for Constructed Textiles |
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Emily Howard – Special Commendation for Fabric Promotional Package for Surface Pattern |
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Emma Patterson – Special Commendation for Yarn Promotional Package for Constructed Textiles |
The judging panel included AWI product marketing manager Jennifer Lau and Frank Kisvarda, an industry adviser to AWI.
"It is fantastic to see Australian Merino wool pushed beyond the boundaries and in truly unique and trans-seasonal garments by the talented students at RMIT," Ms Lau says.
The awards were announced at the 2006 RMIT Textile Design Degree Show and presented by Mr Kisvarda on behalf of AWI.
More information: Jennifer Lau, 02 9299 5155, jenniferlau@woolinnovation.com
Return to Beyond the Bale Issue 26 index page.