The next crop of Australian fashion talent is here, courtesy of the 16th annual Australian Fashion Foundation awards. The program has long been regarded as the premiere platform for showcasing the future of the Australian fashion industry, and the 2024 iteration is no exception.
Presented in partnership with The Next Generation and the Australian Fashion Council, each year, two winners will receive a USD$20,000 grant and an internship placement with a global fashion powerhouse in 2025. In the past, winners have completed stints at the likes of Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, Proenza Schouler, and Thom Browne, with notable alumi including Vlad Kanevsky, who is now a senior designer at Thom Browne afer winning the grant in 2015, and 2014 winner Talisa Trantino, who is the head of design special projects at Loewe.
“The global fashion industry is experiencing a major shift of opportunity right now—we’re seeing a seismic transition of designers in the major houses, and in Australia I’m excited to see what will no doubt be one of the most important Australian Fashion Weeks in 2025, led by the Australian Fashion Council, which I’m grateful to call one of our partners,” said Malcom Carfrae, co-founder of AUSFF.
“This year’s finalists proved once again just how much skill, promise and prowess Australia has to offer in this area, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for our two winners.”
Below, get acquainted with the ten finalists — including winners Ethan Bergersen and Indigo Stuart — from this year's AUSFF.
1. Ethan Bergersen
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AUSFF winner Ethan Bergersen studied Fashion Design (Honours) at Sydney's University of Technology. Bergersen's work toys with the human form, natural textures, and couture techniques.
2. Indigo Stuart
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AUSFF winner Indigo Stuart has a Bachelor of Fashion Design (Honours) from RMIT. Her work features hand-woven, zero-waste fabrics, and deconstructed, reconstructed found materials.
3. Frank Taplin
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Taplin is a Fashion Design graduate based in Melbourne. The designer has a particular interest in garment construction, raw materials, and handworked craftsmanship, and was previously awarded the Australian Wool Education Trust grant.
4. Georgia Brookes
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Georgia Brookes has a Bachelor of Fashion Design (Honours) from RMIT, and her design style leans minimal with a twist. Think: a hand-dyed polo gown, layered over a shrunken raglan.
5. James McKerracher
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James McKerracher studied a Bachelor of Fashion Design at RMIT. His work interrogates tailored suiting, and the history behind this traditional clothing style.
6. Kit Looi
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Kit Looi has a Bachelor of Fashion Design from RMIT. Looi's work champions thoughtful consumption, with designs that encourage their wearer to consider the entire story behind what they consume.
7. Laura Heron
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Laura Heron is a graduate of the Fashion Design program at RMIT. Her designs explore the boundaries of wearability, experimenting with silhouette to interrogate the limits of form and function.
8. Little Pat Mooreswell
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Little Pat Mooreswell is a photographer and creative director, who studied Creative Direction and Styling at the Whitehouse Institute. Her portfolio is characterised by bold colour, eccentricity, and a penchant for movement. She's particularly interested in exploring fashion through the mediums of illustration, photography, and graphic design.
9. Madison Cusumano
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Madison Cusumano is a Fashion Design graduate from the Whitehouse Institute. Her work takes elements from outdoor garments, and repurposes them with a focus on luxurious comfort and warmth.
10. Yishan Yao
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Yishan Yao studied Fashion Design at the Whitehouse Institute. Her work is characterised by complex silhouettes and structural shapes, as well as references to Chinese Minnan architecture.
