Box Hill Institute Fashion Student Wins At MFW

Third year Box Hill Institute Bachelor of Fashion student, Chelsea Subala has taken out the Melbourne Fashion Week Student Design award. She is the second Box Hill Institute student to win the award in three years.

Students from six Victorian design schools and one Japanese design school showed their collections on a runway at the Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday evening, 1 September. There were six finalists and Chelsea took out the top prize for her demonstrated excellence in innovation, quality, design and her potential to contribute to the future growth of the Australian fashion industry.

Chelsea said her collection - SLAY - was inspired by people who had mental illness and were suffering anxiety or depression, and it was influenced by Melbourne's street art graffiti.

She said, "The garments that an individual wears is a reflection of themselves, whether they are conscious of it or not. I want to push the boundaries of my consumer outside their comfort zone. It's about the silent language that is spoken without words."

Chelsea's garments use a combination of emulsion screen-printing as well as embroidery. She has always been interested in illustration and fashion textiles and believes she can use her talent to make an impact on society, however large or small.

Box Hill Institute CEO, Vivienne King said, "This is a wonderful achievement for Chelsea and it reflects the dedication and support offered by our fashion teachers. It's no coincidence that two of the last three winners of this competition attended Box Hill Institute."

Melbourne Fashion Week is the largest fashion event of the season, showcasing the best of Australian fashion from brands, designers and models. Every year, Melbourne Fashion Week representatives visit top fashion design schools around Melbourne to select stand out designers to participate in the Emerging Designer program.

The Student Design award prize includes a $3,000 cash prize, a mentorship session with Australian Specsavers design partner, and an internship with design label ELK at their Head Office. It also includes a 12 month Australian Fashion Council (AFC) Fashion Business Mentorship valued at $2,000 and a one year AFC Membership valued at $150.

Congratulations to talented designer Chelsea Subala for winning the 2019 Student Design Awards at Melbourne Fashion Week. Like Box Hill Institute alumni Tess Whitfort, Chelsea is definitely one to watch and we look forward to seeing her future achievements.