TAFE NSW Fashion Design Studio graduate Alexandra Dowsing says her passion for sustainability and artisanship, combined with a love of music have influenced her Afterpay Australian Fashion Week collection ‘BEE FREE’.

An accomplished designer with a recognised history of creative achievements, growing up Ms Dowsing was heavily influenced by her close-knit family of creatives.

“One of my grandmothers was a painter and the other a milliner. I used to paint with my grandmother all the time, and I was entranced by my grandmother’s touch,” Ms Dowsing said.

For over 60 years, TAFE NSW Fashion Design Studio has produced some of the biggest names in the Australian Fashion Industry. This year, Alexandra Dowsing is one of five top performing graduates from the Bachelor of Fashion Design 2020 who will launch their collections on the catwalk at The Innovators show as part of Afterpay Australian Fashion Week.

The graduate show, now in its 25th year, has earned a reputation for being one of the week’s “hottest shows,” and is an important launch pad for emerging Australian fashion designers both locally and internationally.

This year’s collections hone in on the theme of No Boundaries, reflecting the limitless potential of creative expression, and reinforcing the importance of sustainability in fashion.

“I knew in school that I had a flair for fashion design. I excelled in textiles and won various awards for my designs and embroidery skills,” Ms Dowsing said.

“I moved away from fashion design to work in styling for some time but what's driven me to come back and pursue the Bachelor of Fashion Design is that sustainability is a necessity now.

“A lot of people are still very uneducated about where fashion comes from and what they buy, I want to celebrate sustainability and show people the value in being more conscious about our resources.”

Ms Dowsing’s collection “BEE FREE” takes inspiration from the surrealist movement, music, artists, and native flora.

“Music plays a huge part in my life and has helped to drive this collection. I want to connect and provoke an emotional response, to help people gain an appreciation and understanding for finer things,” Ms Dowsing said.

“In my collection I’ve used natural fibres, recycled fashion and avoided synthetic fibres which can end up in the ocean. Sustainability isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity and my goal is to inspire society to be conscious and “stay woke”.”

Forged in the fires of the 2020 pandemic, the graduate designers’ collections reflect the intensity of that time and their vision for the future of fashion post COVID-19.

“COVID-19 forced people and fashion producers to look differently at how they are impacting on their world. It’s also, out of necessity, driven a lot of processes back onshore.

“We’re unfortunately seeing that people will continue to buy disposable fashion despite the evidence of the harm it does, so my goal is to educate others in how they can be more sustainable and conscious in their fashion choices.”

As the only fashion school in Australia to present graduate collections at Fashion Week, TAFE NSW is proud to introduce the new generation of creative fashion designers to industry.

Media contact: Kellie Dillon, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, kellie.dillon7@tafensw.edu.au, 0408 006 866.