LCI Melbourne’s Graduate Runway 2026 Declares the Future of Fashion, Different by Design

Held as a centrepiece of LCI Melbourne’s Season of Excellence, the day featured both an afternoon High School Preview and a sold-out evening showcase — together forming a powerful statement about the role of creative education in shaping industry and culture.

The afternoon show welcomed 130 secondary students from across Victoria, offering them the opportunity to encounter what is possible when imagination meets discipline. For many, it was their first experience of a professional runway environment — a moment of inspiration and aspiration.

The evening event, attended by a 150+ strong audience of industry leaders, creative partners, alumni, families and supporters, was a true celebration of LCI Melbourne’s vibrant creative community. The energy in the room reflected not only the quality of the collections, but the strength of the culture behind them.

Across both sessions, eleven capstone collections demonstrated two years of intensive research, experimentation, technical refinement, and conceptual development. The runway showcased garments that were fearless, conceptually rigorous, and unapologetically individual — a testament to the strength of LCI Melbourne’s Fashion Faculty.

In his address to the graduates and audience, Campus Director Adriano Di Prato reflected on the deeper purpose of design education:

“At LCI Melbourne, we don’t just prepare students to enter an industry. We prepare them to shape it.
The future doesn’t belong to those who follow instructions — but to those bold enough to pull the pieces apart and build something the world has never seen.”

The Graduate Runway also underscored LCI Melbourne’s distinctive positioning as the only higher education institution in Australia to present its own dedicated runway within the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Independent Programme.

Under the extraordinary creative leadership of Head of Fashion Darran Arabin-Gander — supported by faculty Gretchen Geoghegan, Nasia Vlassopoulos, Chris Conners and Vicki Nicola — the program continues to produce graduates who are not only technically accomplished, but culturally aware, industry-ready, and creatively courageous.

The faculty’s recent achievements further reinforce its national impact. In 2025, LCI Melbourne fashion students secured 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Emerging Designers category at Fashions on the Field during the Melbourne Cup Carnival. Eight students were selected for the Student Collections Runway at Melbourne Fashion Week, and student work has been featured in local and international publications including Vogue Australia, Harper’s Bazaar (Ecuador), Grazia (Malaysia) and Vanguard (New York).

This year’s Graduate Runway was not simply a showcase — it was a declaration of intent.

Different by Design is not a tagline. It is a commitment to cultivating designers who challenge convention, speak with clarity, and influence culture.

Applications are now open for our June intake. If you are ready to learn, create and influence — and to encounter what is possible — discover your future at LCI Melbourne:

👉 Explore the Costume Design Course (Fashion Program) at LCI Melbourne