Reconnecting through denim: Fashion students collaborate with Advance Denim

Students in RMIT’s Associate Degree in Fashion have had the opportunity to collaborate with global textile manufacturer Advance Denim, creating innovative denim jacket samples as part of a recent assessment for the third-semester subject, Fashion Design Development.

The focus of the semester was to help students take their foundation skills in design, patternmaking and construction and apply them in an industry-based project.

Advance Denim, a China-based denim mill and RMIT industry partner, is at the forefront of sustainable fabric production, producing high-quality, cutting-edge textiles for the global fashion industry. Working with a sustainability-focused organisation offers a refreshing perspective for emerging designers in a cultural landscape often dominated by micro-trends and fast fashion, encouraging more thoughtful, durable design approaches. 

For the assessment, students were asked to develop a mini garment collection in response to the prompt Reconnection Economy. The project culminated in a directional sample jacket made from fabric supplied by Advance Denim. 

According to student Violet Hall, this “made the project feel more real and not like a typical school project.” 

The prompt encouraged students to “reconnect with things that bring us joy, comfort and nostalgia in a time where technology overwhelms our everyday lives,” Violet said.

Violet’s conceptual sketches, the process of embroidering denim and the final product

Student Vinnie Stender responded to the brief with a collection of tactile, wearable forms designed to foster emotional and sensory reconnection. He said the partnership provided valuable, hands-on industry experience that reshaped how he approaches design and materiality. 

“Working with Advance Denim has been very insightful into the expectations of a fashion company and has utilised and improved my entire skill set,” he said. 

It has pushed me to think more conceptually and given me a better understanding of how creativity and commerciality can work together in a professional design environment.

Vinnie’s jacket sample and conceptual sketches from his mini portfolio

Melanie Williamson took a different approach, focusing on subverting traditional denim design by mimicking human forms. She highlighted the shift from purely conceptual thinking to practical engagement.

“Working with an industry-linked brief connects studio theory with practical execution,” she said.

It was no longer simply about my creativity, but how the fabric responded to my design concepts in practice.

For Melanie, the experience has extended well beyond the classroom, forming the foundation of the portfolio she used to apply for an international exchange program at Parsons, The New School of Design in New York, which she will commence in semester four.

Melanie’s final jacket sample and an excerpt from her mini portfolio

Mardi O’Rouke, one of the Fashion Design Development teachers, said that while the project was difficult, students embraced the challenge and pushed themselves to produce industry-standard results.

“It was challenging but fun and they were really proud of their final work, what they had achieved and how much they had grown in one semester.”

26 June 2026

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Reconnecting through denim: Fashion students collaborate with Advance Denim