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Fashion Show at Ara hits the right Pitch

Fashion Show at Ara hits the right Pitch

We have a chat with Nathan Ingram, Ara’s programme leader for Fashion Technology & Design, to find out how emerging talent can play a part in developing our local screen industry.

What is the ARA Pitch Event and why is it so successful?

The Pitch Fashion show is an Annual event hosted by ARA to showcase our student design talent. The show is a great platform and strong scouting ground for local companies like Portfolio Models & Talent and Kristen Stewart School of Makeup - it's a wonderful local collaboration where creatives, designers and models all get to partner together and present this fabulous annual show.

How does Ara’s upcoming fashion talent support the development of local screen capabilities?

ARA fashion delivery primarily focuses on technical skill, underpinned with academic theory. This means students enter the industry with a diverse skillset which enables them to be adaptable problem solvers. Learners are introduced to a variety of process and opportunities to explore fashion outputs in a commercial sense, as well as having opportunities to explore ways to introduce narratives within their work.

How does the Pitch Fashion Show help identify talent for the screen industry?

Because of the quality production, our annual Pitch Runway seats over 400 attendees. We also live stream the event to our online community, giving everyone unable to attend the chance to see firsthand the next generation of talent on show.

How does the Fashion Technology & Design programme offer ‘real life’ experiences and opportunities?

Students in the final year of study must complete 4 weeks work placement. This is a chance for our learners to select an area of the industry they wish to gain further insight. The student then receives a design brief in which they must respond to by designing 10 looks and producing a selection of these looks. If students choose to take their placement within the screen industry they gain the opportunity to design, collate, and make costumes.

Our Final project is research based. This allows learners to develop a proposal for further enquiry. This is a fantastic opportunity for our learners to include a number of possible outputs suitable for screen if that is their passion.

Experiencing a large scale fashion production allows our learners a great opportunity to collaborate with staging and lighting technicians, hair and make up artists. This is experience gives them first hand industry relevant skills.

Get in Touch

Bree Loverich
Screen CanterburyNZ Manager
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