By Holly McGuinness
Greenvale resident Olivia Barca has taken out first place in the resident casual wear category at the 2022 Fashion Awards, STITCH don’t DITCH competition.
With a diploma of applied fashion design and merchandising at Kangan Institute under her belt, Ms Barca’s winning piece was an upcycled two piece suit.
“I feel extremely happy and honoured. I put a lot of hours into designing, pattern-making and constructing my suit in order to achieve the best outcome,” Ms Barca said.
Hoping to one day create her own ethical and sustainable fashion brand, she said Kangan Institute educated her on upcycling and repurposing textile waste.
“The design and pattern-making processes were always at the forefront of my mind as I could
only create a design around the quantity, size and colour of materials I had,” she said.
“Sustainability is the way of the future. It is up to emerging designers like me to design garments that are environmentally friendly whilst stylish.”
The unique outfit features bound buttonholes, top stitching detailing and versatile button wraps; she wanted to ensure each piece could be worn individually or together.
Kangan Institute chief executive Sally Curtain said she’s very proud of Ms Barca’s win.
“It reflects Olivia’s high level of skill, as well as her commitment to excellence in sustainable fashion design,” Ms Curtain said.
Ms Barca came third in last year’s Fashion Awards for ‘Resident/TAFE,’ making an upcycled jacket design with jeans, overalls and a pinafore.
