How 3 Billy Blue College of Design graduates went from the classroom to the 2019 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival

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7th Oct 2019

Billy Blue College of Design graduates Alisha Yates, Christina Hewawissa, and Leah Musch are living proof that studying at the highly-esteemed design school can lead to a dream career in fashion.

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All three graduates were recently offered the incredible opportunity to take part in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival (MBFF) in Brisbane. Yates and Hewawissa showed their fashion labels, Alisha Maraki and Rosa Rosa The Label respectively, at the Fantauzzo Next Gen Group Show during the 13th edition of the festival, and ethical fashion influencer, Musch, attended on behalf of Billy Blue as the college’s representative and to connect with her fellow alumni at the prestigious event.

Just how did this trio of Billy Blue graduates go from the classroom to the runway? “Basically you could sum up my career journey by saying I went from the family pizza shop to showing at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival with the help of Billy Blue Design College and a lot of hard work!” Yates, head designer and founder of inclusive Australian fashion label Alisha Maraki quipped to Vogue.

The Communication Design graduate-turned-designer said her study played a “monumental” role in her career: “I wanted to learn how to build a successful business in the fashion industry, that is why I chose Billy Blue.” 

Yates noted that since graduating from Billy Blue in 2014 she was able to “hit the ground running” rising to the level of brand manager at a Brisbane-based apparel company in a very short time before launching her label In October last year, followed by showing the brand’s debut collection at MBFF.

“All roads lead somewhere exciting after Billy Blue,” Yates, said, adding that she always looks to Billy Blue graduates whenever she’s hiring. “I know that personally, as a Billy Blue graduate, I always hire Billy Blue graduates over any graduates from any other fashion institution because I know they’re industry ready.”

Fellow Billy Blue Branded Fashion Design graduate and founder of ethical fashion label, Rosa Rosa The Label, Hewawiss, had the option to accelerate her studies completing her degree (Bachelor of Branded Fashion Design) in just two years. She then started her brand at just 21, telling Vogue that this was possible thanks to her studies at Billy Blue: “This course enabled me to set up a commercial brand that truly reflected my personality. I also have received a number of opportunities and contacts through Billy Blue. Having them [Billy Blue] sponsor me to be apart of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival was absolutely insane, and I am so thankful for their continuous support.”

“When I received the news that I was going to be apart of MBFF I was over the moon,” Hewawiss said. She added: “It was such an amazing feeling having my designs and hard work up on that runway. It definitely was something I am proud of, and I could not have gone through it without Billy Blue. They provided the opportunity, and helped my though every step of the way. It was a surreal moment as I felt like a true designer, and suddenly it felt like anything could be possible for my brand”.

Musch, who blogs and Instagrams under the moniker, The Unmaterial Girl, has also found her dream fashion career thanks to Billy Blue as an influencer and sustainable and ethical fashion buyer for Biome Eco Stores.

Musch was asked by Billy Blue to attend the Next Gen show and shared with Vogue just how special the event was: “I was asked to represent Billy Blue at the Next Gen show as I still have a strong bond with my uni, especially as an alumni. I also document all my fashion adventures on my instagram @unmaterialgirl, so it was fun [to] takeover the Billy Blue Instagram [account] for an evening! Meeting the two fellow graduates after the show made me feel so proud. The show was by far one of the most incredible fashion events I’ve seen in Brisbane, and the fact that Christina [Hewawissa] and Alisha [Yates] were part of it is a testament to what is possible for anyone who goes through this course.”