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From certificates to a degree, Baden’s study pathway has spanned three courses at Holmesglen.

As he approaches the end of the Bachelor of Fashion Design, Baden reflects on his journey and the role vocational education had in inspiring his dream of becoming a leading fashion designer.

“The good thing about Holmesglen’s Vocational College was it gave you samples of all different [study areas].

“I got a taste for it and went from there. Everyone was supportive,” he says of his initial Holmesglen studies.

From this, Baden enrolled in a Holmesglen fashion course to cement his design passions with formal qualifications.

There is an exciting range of fashion courses offered at Holmesglen. The fashion design courses range in skills and intensity—from a very practical two-day short basic sewing course all the way up to a three-year degree in fashion. There is also a selection of certificates covering everything from apparel to fashion design and technology.  These certificates, which may be done part-time or full-time, vary in range (full-time) from six months to two years in duration. Each fashion course provides a variety of skills, from foundational design knowledge to highly technical and specialised abilities.

Baden began with a fashion certificate course, which gave him manufacturing and practical skills, such as sewing, to complement his design interests.

“It was a crazy turnaround. I learned to sew quite proficiently in those 12 months.

“I had never used a sewing machine and now I’m using all these industrial ones.

“The manufacturing side informs the actual design. You get fashion designers, but [some] don’t understand how things are made, so they come up with these great ideas, but they don’t understand how to make the clothing, so the ideas don’t always come out.”

“When I’m designing something, I now know where all the seams go, how it goes through the machine and how it’s going to be manufactured.”

Industry experience – whether it’s work experience, internships, competitions, or volunteer work – connects what you learn in the classroom, with what you aspire to do in industry.

The Bachelor of Fashion Design includes various professional practice units and encourages students to seek internship opportunities while they study.

Baden says a highlight of his fashion course was debuting his collection at Melbourne Fashion Week’s Student Runway.

Along with fellow Holmesglen fashion students, Baden’s design, which explored fashion’s immersion with nature, featured at a sold-out event.

“You got to see your creations come to life.”

With two fashion course qualifications, Baden’s ambition now turns to pursuing a full-time career in fashion design.

His advice for students aiming to follow a similar study pathway?

“Jump in at the deep end and do it.

“It’s good to meet like-minded people. The teachers are [also] very interested in helping people.”

Find out more about our fashion study and career pathways at our fashion courses page.