Disney-inspired fashion designs from a group of 11 RMIT fashion students will soon be on display at Westfield Southland in Victoria.
The special fashion showcase, going live to the public from September 7, pays homage to six classic Disney themes, including ‘Hakuna Matata’ from The Lion King, ‘Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid, ‘You Can Fly’ from Peter Pan, ‘The Transformation’ from Cinderella, ‘How Far I’ll Go’ from Moana and ‘Friend Like Me’ from Aladdin.
The Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand challenged final-year students enrolled in RMIT’s Associate Degree in Fashion Design and Technology, to design clothing drawing from the above themes as part of Disney’s 100th anniversary this year.
Each student took a few months to complete the industry brief component of their course, with the 11 students selected from a pool of 22 altogether. The full list of students, and those selected, can be found further below.
Tim Everett, The Walt Disney Company AU/NZ vice president and GM of consumer products commercialisation, said the exhibition was a display of future creativity.
“I am so happy to see such a wonderful local project come to light that really showcases the future generation of Australian fashion designers,” Everett said.
“We tasked the students at RMIT with presenting their spin on much-loved characters and films - which is no mean feat - and they have in turn created an amazingly creative and visually stimulating collection of outfits that present their take on what Disney storytelling means to them.”
RMIT deputy vice chancellor and vice president Mish Eastman said the partnership revealed mutual benefits of industry working with the university.
"It's fantastic for our vocational education students to get hands-on experience working with one of the world's biggest brands,” Eastman said.
“These students are at the cutting-edge of the latest fashion trends and are bringing their fresh perspectives to some of the most iconic Disney moments. It’s a pleasure to see the excitement of our students as they present their designs to a client that is sure to be close to their hearts.”
The free Disney100 and RMIT exhibit will be on display at Westfield Southland on Level 2 (near Country Road) until Thursday, October 5, 2023.
Full list of participating RMIT students:
- Lingqui (Lisa) Wu - “Hug U Love U” inspired by Aladdin*
- Huijing (Aelita) Zhang - “Saveela” inspired by Aladdin
- Nicola Giblin - “Transformation” inspired by Cinderella*
- Hao Wei (Aiden) Lim - "Bibbidi - Bobbidi - Boo” inspired by Cinderella*
- Holly Thistlewaite - “Transformed Adolescence” inspired by Cinderella*
- Willow Lindner - “Critter” inspired by The Lion King*
- Yilan (Doris) Shao - “Day & Night” inspired by The Lion King
- Flora Bellemo - “Hidden Treasures” inspired by The Little Mermaid*
- Alice Cochrane - “Ursula’s Cousin” inspired by The Little Mermaid*
- Eva (Zoe) Linou - “Marina” inspired by The Little Mermaid*
- Linya (Amy) Ma - “Legend of Atlantic” inspired by The Little Mermaid
- Ben Morton - “Devotion” inspired by The Little Mermaid*
- Todd Bellingham - “Ride the Colour Wave” inspired by The Little Mermaid
- Yifei (Anna) Wu - “Beyond The Sea” inspired by Moana*
- Hao (Earl) Guo - “Dreams Of The Sea” inspired by Moana
- Elicinda Castro - “Wonderful Thoughts” inspired by Peter Pan*
- Zoe Harrup - “Pixie” inspired by Peter Pan*
- Cara McCulloch - “Head In The Clouds” inspired by Peter Pan
- Zihui (Lisa) Shen - “Keep Night’s Dreams” Peter Pan
- Ruby Visser - “Night Flight” inspired by Peter Pan
- Jemma Watt - “Into The Night Sky” inspired by Peter Pan*
- Anya Jansen Van Rensburg - “Star Light” inspired by Peter Pan
- Karan Naicker - “Balensey” inspired by Peter Pan
*Asterisk denotes work that is on display at Westfield Southland