The 2020 HomeStart Costume Graduate Showcase featured dramatic debut collections from first-ever costume design graduates.

The first costume design graduates from TAFE SA and Flinders University put on a parade filled with grandeur, nostalgia and plenty of drama.

Influences ranged from the British monarchy in the Tudor era to futuristic cosplay characters and burlesque dancers.

The Bachelor of Creative Arts (Costume Design), a dual award offered by TAFE SA and Flinders University, began in 2017.

Graduating students from the class of 2019 are the first to complete the qualification, putting their work on display on February 18.

The HomeStart Outstanding Graduate Award was presented to Kirby Moore, acknowledged as the student who maintained a “consistently high performance throughout the three-year degree”.

Each student produced a collection of three outfits to suit a theme or character of their choice, which featured at the event using a combination of live models and static displays.

TAFE SA’s Helen Jansson, Principal Lecturer – Fashion Design and Technology, says the costume design students worked on a mix of hypothetical and real productions during their three years of training and learnt valuable collaborative skills.

“In their second year they create costumes for a major dance production at AC Arts and work with renowned choreographers, including ADT’s Garry Stewart,” she says.

“They also work with Bachelor of Screen and Media students at Flinders University and choreograph designs for their shoots.”

The course is structured so that first-year students learn essential sewing and pattern-making skills, much like the fashion design students, before turning their focus to the entertainment industry.

“We have excellent lecturers who are prominent in the industry, so our students gain great insights into the field.

“Last year we also held our inaugural study tour to the United States, visiting film and TV studios and costume design workshops in New York and Los Angeles, including Disney on Broadway, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers.”

The program has grown quickly since its inception and this year 28 first-year students will undertake the course.

Also last month, fashion design graduates put on their parade at Flinders University. The winner of the HomeStart Outstanding Graduate Award was Ashleigh Harris. Lecturers’ Choice Award was a tie between Hannah O’Callaghan and Scott Sandford (for excellent third-year graduate collections).