Students make splash

Jessica Benton
HIPPIE-INSPIRED bikinis adorned with gems and bright colours will feature on beachside beauties this summer.
That’s the aim of Barwon Heads’ Sarah Martin who joined other Gordon Institute of TAFE fashion students to unveil new swimwear collections in Melbourne this week.
The students’ designs went on show in a second annual Federation Square fashion show on Wednesday.
“My range is inspired from the Woodstock music festival, with lots of bright colours, shapes and silhouettes from the coming season’s trends,” Ms Martin said.
“There’s a lot of beading and crystals and a lot of frills and ruffles in my work. Violet is the colour that’s very evident in swimwear at the moment but I also used red, pink, orange, yellow and a bit of white.
“I suppose the style is a little bit hippie but the crystals and gems make it aimed at an up-market group.”
Ms Martin laboured over her collection for weeks.
“The beading on one kaftan took 60 hours, while the two-piece triangle bikini took 10 hours,” she said.