From campus to runway: Budding engineers dive into the world of fashion

UOWKDU University College School of Engineering collaborated on a  fashion project with a renowned Malaysian fashion designer - Melinda Looi,  to produce four pieces of innovative moveable fashion items for the Melinda  Looi Couture fashion show held on 8th October 2022 in Kuala Lumpur.  

The Melinda Looi team designed three fashion outfits and a headwear  incorporating movable elements. The School of Engineering team was  tasked to realise their design ideas by applying their technological skills and  knowledge. The proposed elements involved dresses with moving panels,  dancing monster icons, blinking eye lids and a rotating headwear. The  ultimate aim of the project was to showcase how fashion could be fun,  interesting and daring.  

The School of Engineering formed a team of 10 Foundation in Engineering  students, led by Associate Professor Dr. Yeap Gik Hong and supervised by  a group of lecturers - Ms. Goh Thing Thing, Mr Chua Huang Shen (Mason), Dr. Cheng Xiau San and Ms. Gee Chia Chen. The team spent tremendous  effort and time to make this collaboration project successful. The project  was completed over a period of 2 months. The students were challenged to  apply what they learned in class such as project management, Tinkercad  simulation, mechanical simulation and so on. They not only brain-stormed  and designed the mechanisms; they also revised and optimised the  mechanisms to produce the best fashion effect. The Melinda Looi team  attend pitching presentations by the team to formulate the best fashion  design. By incorporating technological elements into the designer outfits,  they pushed the boundaries of the fashion runway with their lively and  dynamic creations.  

Through this collaborative project, the students gained a golden  opportunity to go beyond the textbook, exploring the real world of fashion,  connecting and applying their learning in school to the demands of clients.  This collaboration project enhanced the students’ educational experience  by improving their social, teamwork and communication skills.  

The students’ journey from the Engineering design laboratory on campus  to the runway of the Melinda Fashion Show is captured in this video:  

From concept to design: the dancing monster icons on a dress.

From concept to design: Blinking eyelids on a gown

From concept to design: Waving panels on a dress

The rotating headwear The Engineering School Project Team

Project Development and Testing Stage:

This content is provided by UOW Malaysia KDU.