Year 10 student Jo Cauchi and year 11 student Sophia Evans will travel all the way to Mandurah north of Perth to compete in the prestigious event, following their success at the state final in September. 

Scotch Oakburn textiles teacher Felicity Brown will accompany the students on the trip and said she couldn’t be more proud of their achievements. 

“It is just a fantastic result,” she said.  

“We only had three students compete at state so for two of them to go through to the national final it just shows how well they did.

“The quality of their work really shows though.”

The AATFA festival provides an opportunity for students across Australia to demonstrate their skill and creative flair, with a focus on design, manufacturing and modelling. 

The girls will submit their pieces on Friday for judging and then model the clothes during a runway show on the Saturday. 

Jo will compete in the society and environment category after winning the event at the state championships, with a garment designed to show the evolution of wool from the sheeps back to the shop. 

“I have always had a passion for agriculture and that is an industry I see myself going in to in the future,” she said.

“I love textiles as a hobby so I thought this was good way to combine the two.”

Sophia, will be contending the casual wear category with a wool-blend cloak ensemble she said was inspired by her love of mushroom hunting and microbiology. 

“I was thinking about what would want to wear outdoors, so I was looking for a design that was sturdy and resilient,” she said. 

“I was actually wearing the outfit before I decided to enter it in the competition.”

The competition will be the first time Sophia has left Tasmania and both girls said they are looking forward to the experience.