Designers of the future

A design by Reiko Fukuda. Photo / Babiche Martens

Fashion trends may come and go but there's one thing you can always be sure of: fashion students' love of drape. And yes, there was certainly plenty of fabric and drapery on the runway at the AUT Rookie show, where 22 selected fashion design students from this year's graduating class showcased their end-of-year collections.

AUT's fashion school and annual Rookie show has earned itself a reputation as a key breeding ground for future local fashion talent, with past students including Alex Jaeha Kim, Sherie Rai of the Sherie Mujs label, Camille Howie and recent Westfield Style Pasifika Supreme Award winner Nadeesha Godamunne (who is now an honours student majoring in fashion illustration - her standout works were displayed at the pre-show party).

This year's students presented designs inspired by cults (Celia Phillips), Samoan tatau (Sandra Tapu), literary characters (Lan Ching Fu) and Orphism (Abby Davidson). There was even a print using the face of a 20-week-old foetus, as part of a collection from Olivia Benefield.

Students pour their heart and soul into these ranges and this passion was evident on the night, with congratulatory cheers as each range made its way down the runway.

Highlights from the show, held at St Paul's Church, included Lan Ching Fu's simple but effective fusion of jewellery and fashion, Blair Archibald's relaxed and moody-hued menswear, Celia Phillips' beautiful collection of layered and voluminous shirting dresses, a dark interpretation of the prairie dresses worn by the American Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints cult, and Reiko Fukuda's collection of structured underwear, chiffon and leather thigh-high boots, that examined the transition from childhood to adulthood. Meghann Hemmings' collection of standout jackets made from textured ostrich hides was also rather amazing - as was honours student Glenn Yungnickel's bold pink collection of menswear suiting.