19 Jun 2025
NEW GRADUATES SHAPING THE FUTURE OF FASHION
The 32nd annual Future Fashion exhibition will open at Powerhouse Castle Hill on 2 August 2025, highlighting the stand-out collections of four final year graduates from leading Sydney fashion and design institutions — Whitehouse Institute of Design; University of Technology Sydney; Fashion Design Studio: TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus and Torrens University Australia: Billy Blue College of Design.
Established in 1993, Future Fashion showcases designers emerging from NSW tertiary fashion and textiles courses. Over the past three decades this exhibition has featured the work of more than 200 students, with many going on to have impressive careers, including Toni Matičevski, Dion Lee, Michelle Jank and Anthony Kendal.
In 2025, graduate designers Yishan (Eva) Yao (Whitehouse Institute of Design), Suzaan Stander (University of Technology Sydney), Shiva Yousefpourshahrivar (Fashion Design Studio: TAFE NSW Ultimo Campus) and Alec Boyajian (Torrens University Australia: Billy Blue College of Design) will showcase their diverse design signatures and high-level technical skills with collections that explore themes of cultural heritage, gender, sustainability, technology, architecture and art.
Boyajian’s Autumn-Winter 2025-26 Collection is a tribute to his grandfather’s Californian mechanic shop. Using upcycled and reinterpreted denim, the collection explores workwear pieces that blend ideals of traditional and redefined masculinity.
Yousefpourshahrivar’s Unbound Collection presents a future where fashion is both expressive and responsible, showcasing zero-waste practices, multi-functional garments and gender-neutral forms.
Whitehouse graduate Yao experimented with wool roving and yarn to develop an original textile with rich tactile surfaces. Her Reborn Collection reimagines history with a modern purpose and sense of individuality.
Stander’s graduate collection is inspired by characters that occupy the space between fantasy and reality such as dolls, marionette puppets and artworks that come to life. By abstracting the craftsmanship of corsetry through surrealist construction, Stander delves into what would happen if the corset became a living thing.
To celebrate the opening, Powerhouse will present a free day of talks, tours, demonstrations and workshops on Saturday 2 August at Powerhouse Castle Hill. A panel discussion hosted by Laura Washington, Head of the Fashion Design Studio, TAFE NSW will explore the artistic practices of the exhibiting graduate designers. Visitors can go behind-the-scenes of the expansive Powerhouse Collection on a curator-led tour of the textile storerooms, take part in hands-on workshops exploring 3D fashion design and material innovation or join a catwalk photography demonstration presented by Torrens University Australia.
Powerhouse Collection Curator Glynis Jones said, ‘Fashion is one of the world’s most compelling, competitive and complex industries where skill, creativity, technology and economics meet imagination, art, history, politics, culture and identity. The work of these four talented students embodies this dynamic mélange with pieces inspired by Persian heritage, a family auto-repair workshop, medical technology, Minnan architecture, corsetry, Surrealism and sustainability.’
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said, ‘Each year we continue to be impressed by the outstanding calibre of students graduating from Sydney’s fashion institutions. These leading educators are a key component of our cultural and creative industry sector and play a crucial role in fostering creativity, critical thinking and entrepreneurship among emerging designers. We are pleased to be able to offer a platform to spotlight these designers and be a launch pad for their careers.’
Future Fashion will be on display from 2 August – 7 December 2025. Powerhouse Castle Hill is open every weekend from 10am–4pm. For more information visit: powerhouse.com.au/program/future-fashion
PRESS INFORMATION
Images downloaded here.
OPENING: FUTURE FASHION PROGRAM
Saturday 2 August
In Conversation
11am
Future Fashion students Alec Boyajian, Shiva Yousefpourshahrivar, Yishan (Eva) Yao and Suzaan Stander discuss their graduate collections, artistic practices and how they imagine the future of fashion. Hosted by Laura Washington, Head of the Fashion Design Studio, TAFE NSW.
BTS: Collections Storage Tour
12.30pm and 1.30pm
Join us for a behind the scenes look at more of our textile collection and storage spaces where we house the Powerhouse Collection.
Register here.
Powerhouse Materials: Textiles Talk
1.15pm and 2.15pm
Join Powerhouse curators for an insightful talk on the objects featured in the new Powerhouse Materials: Textiles exhibition.
Register here.
Demonstration: Catwalk Photography with Torrens University Australia
1pm and 2pm
Experience fashion photography in motion and gain insights from professional photographers in real time.
Workshops
10am–4pm
Generating 3D Forms with Whitehouse Institute of Design
Create paper-based sculptural forms and wearable accessories modelled on miniature mannequins or your own body.
CLO3D Experience with University of Technology Sydney
Visualise true-to-life virtual garments with a live VR demonstration of CLO3D fashion design software.
About Powerhouse
Powerhouse sits at the intersection of arts, design, science and technology and plays a critical role in engaging communities with contemporary ideas and issues. We are undertaking a landmark $1.3 billion infrastructure renewal program, spearheaded by the creation of the new museum, Powerhouse Parramatta; expanded research and public facilities at Powerhouse Castle Hill; the renewal of the iconic Powerhouse Ultimo; and the ongoing operation of Sydney Observatory. The museum is custodian to over half a million objects of national and international significance and is considered one of the finest and most diverse collections in Australia. We are also undertaking an expansive digitisation project that will provide new levels of access to the Powerhouse Collection.