NFC Melbourne Students Bring “Up Town, Down Time” PHOTO-SHOOT to Life

WORDS BY NFC STUDENT, SIENNA EDWARDS

Students from NFC Melbourne recently stepped into the spotlight with their editorial photoshoot, Up Town, Down Time — a futuristic Y2K-inspired concept designed, styled, and produced entirely by the students themselves. Featuring garments from General Pants and models from Priscilla’s, the shoot offered an authentic taste of what it’s like to work in the fast-paced fashion industry.

Through insights and reflections from the creative team — Charlie (Art Director), Sienna and Emilia (Stylists), and Micaela (Content Creator), we dive into their first-hand experiences of collaboration, creativity, and bringing a professional fashion concept to life on set.

Sienna (Stylist): Had the incredible chance to work on set of a photoshoot fully designed and planned by us, students. I was lucky to be offered a stylist position that allowed me to see what it is really like working in the  fashion industry. I got to work with the best team that truly collaborated together like no other. Charlie our Art Director, brought forth a stunning concept that got us all thinking and brainstorming enthusiastically. Emilia, our other stylist and I really clicked; our ideas were on the same page whilst also bringing a new light and perspective to each other. And, Micaela our Content Creator absolutely killed it capturing everything beautifully, from BTS content to the final shots themselves.

I found the styling role exciting and a little challenging — picking and executing an outfit that represents a given concept is harder than you think but so fun and rewarding. Looking and playing around with all the different ways to express the theme gets you to really think creatively and break boundaries, which I believe is the best part of fashion as a whole. The looks came together perfectly, complementing each other seamlessly, and portraying the concept perfectly.

So proud and grateful to everyone apart of the shoot, and thank you National Fashion College for creating this incredible opportunity.

Charlie (Art Director):  I had the most incredible time working with our group as the Art Director. Collaborating with Models from Priscilla's, a professional photographer and Hair and MUAs who work within the industry was an invaluable experience.

There was a lot of work that went into each element of the photoshoot to get to the point where we were ready for the day. My role as the Art Director was to form a concept for our team to bring to life. It took time to brainstorm an idea that I thought would be suitable, especially as we wanted the shoot to appear professional and editorial. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to pull clothing from General Pants, so it also needed to align with their style. I had created moodboard after moodboard to ensure that our vision would come to life. Finally, I established our concept of “Up Town, Down Time”, a fusion of technology and Y2K futurism framed through clothing, like a Nokia Snapshot. From this foundation, our team had many meetings to discuss our ideas for styling, props and hair and makeup.

Finally, our shoot day arrived! It was a whirlwind; what was about six hours passed in the blink of an eye. We worked like a synchronised machine together to get the models dressed, styled and posed with props. It could not have gone better. I am so grateful to our team for the incredible hard work. To have worked with such motivated and dedicated individuals on this project was amazing. Now, our team is talking about what’s next - I don’t think this will be our only photoshoot together! 

Emilia (Stylist): My experience with this shoot, I felt so inspired by my fellow students, to create the most on theme but stylish and aesthetic outfits. It was really nice to talk to the models as well, and to ensure they were feeling hydrated and energised. Once the first shot was taken, everyone’s work from the styling, content creating, hair and MUA and of course the photographer came together to reflect the concept was unreal and beautiful to see. Everyone should be so proud of themselves!

Micaela (Content Creator): With so much happening on set, it's so incredible to witness the messy pieces of the puzzle align so perfectly into a story. My position for the day was the Content Creator. Meaning I got to capture all the magic. I loved being on my feet and testing my creativity through different angles, or perspectives. Being a content creator on set means my brain never really switches off. While everyone is focused on the shot at hand, I'm in the background thinking what's the story on the outside, and how can I capture it. It turned out to be the most rewarding experience.I learnt so much from my incredible team and can't wait to do it all again!

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