Different by Design: LCI Melbourne students shine at the Fashion Awards Australia Grand Gala

The Fashion Awards Australia Grand Gala brought together emerging designers from across Melbourne’s west and beyond. Year 9 to 12 students stood alongside higher education designers, each showing work they had spent months imagining, cutting, pinning and remaking. For many, it was the first time their ideas had been seen by an industry audience.

Our students held their own in that room. They presented garments with a clear point of view and a voice that is unmistakably their own, and the judges noticed.

Our Higher Education winners

Conceptual Designs

🥇 Jessica Bowers

🥈 Zeest-e-Asghar

🥉 Rebecca Turner

Gown of the Year

🥇 Claire Moffat

🥉 Charleigh Hack

Congratulations to every student who walked the runway.

“Seeing our students hold their nerve and show work that is so clearly their own is what this course is about. They are not waiting for permission to be designers. The industry is already paying attention.”

Darran Arabin-Gander, Head of Fashion, LCI Melbourne

Executive Director, APAC, Adriano Di Prato, joined guests on the night to celebrate the cultural and creative industries across Australia, particularly in Melbourne’s west. The gala was a reminder that ambition is everywhere, and that young creatives need a room that takes them seriously. Moments like this show the industry continuing to recognise that talent, from the first sketch through to professional practice.

Your creative career starts here

If you are ready to build a voice of your own, our Bachelor of Design Arts (Fashion & Costume Design major) is a two-year, in-person degree in Collingwood, with a portfolio-based approach and no exams.

Prefer to start with a one-year pathway? Our Diploma of Fashion Design or Diploma of Fashion Styling builds hands-on garment construction skills, and credit can count towards the Bachelor.

Explore Fashion Design Courses and enrol for February 2027

#DifferentByDesign