“Big, bold and comfy”: How designer Valentina Barrios used foam to bring her graduate collection to life
PHOTOGRAPHY BY jordan Drysdale
as told to daisy henry
“What I do know is that I want to keep doing what I love.”
When most student designers are dreaming up a concept for their graduate collection, they turn to archival fashion, past runways, even pieces of art. LCI student Valentina Barrios looked to furniture. Captured by the idea of exploring shape and form, she was determined to break away from expected silhouettes and traditional methods of garment-making.
“I was really drawn to the idea of taking bold, sculptural forms that usually exist in interiors or architectural spaces and reimagining them for the human body,” she explains. Her resulting collection, aptly titled ‘Balancing the Hard and the Soft, the Structured and the Organic’, is, all at once, “bold, comfy, big, soft and clever”.
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Using foam as a primary medium was no easy feat, demanding that she adapt and pivot from her original designs. “I started with a clear concept and some shapes in mind, but the final forms really emerged through manipulating the materials, especially the fabric and the foam,” she reflects. “Once I began working directly on the mannequin, the designs kept changing.”
While challenging, this process sharply honed Valentina’s instinct and intuition, vital skills needed in a designer. “Sometimes I had a shape in mind, but when I saw it on the body, it didn’t feel right, so I would change it until it reached the right balance and feeling.” Bold both in colour and in the way her pieces take up space, her collection is a study on the intersection between bold and soft, between experimentation and wearability.
‘Balancing the Hard and the Soft, the Structured and the Organic’ is one of many student collections that will be on display at the National Graduate Showcase as part of PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival on February 24. Held at the Royal Exhibition Building, the runway will feature 12 graduate designers hand-picked from Australia’s leading fashion institutions. It’s always an exciting glimpse into the future of Australian fashion and Fashion Journal is proud to be a long-time media partner of the event.
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Fashion Journal: Hi Valentina! Tell me about how you got started in the fashion industry. Did you always want to be a designer?
Valentina: I don’t think I always knew I wanted to be a fashion designer in the traditional sense. I was just always really curious about creativity, design and the fashion world. For me, fashion was never only about learning how to make clothes – it felt bigger than that. I was actually first drawn to textile design, and fashion design felt like the closest way for me to explore that interest.
Tell me about the collection you’re showing for the National Graduate Showcase. What was your inspiration?
The collection I’m showing is called ‘Balancing the Hard and the Soft, the Structured and the Organic’. It’s inspired by furniture design, particularly the way structure, form, and movement can be translated into something wearable. I was really drawn to the idea of taking bold, sculptural forms that usually exist in interiors or architectural spaces and reimagining them for the human body.
The goal was to create pieces that feel almost architectural, while still maintaining a sense of softness and comfort. It was also important for me to explore how different disciplines like furniture, architecture, visual arts and fashion can connect and influence each other, and how clothing can shape the way we move and interact with the spaces around us.
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What has the process of creating your collection been like?
The process has been very experimental and intuitive. I started with a clear concept and some shapes in mind, but the final forms really emerged through manipulating the materials, especially the fabric and the foam. Once I began working directly on the mannequin, the designs kept changing. Sometimes I had a shape in mind, but when I saw it on the body, it didn’t feel right, so I would change it until it reached the right balance and feeling.
The process was also a bit chaotic at times, mainly because foam was my main medium. It’s thick and difficult to work with using traditional fashion techniques, so sewing and construction were quite complex. Exploring those limitations was challenging, but in a good way.
What’s the best and worst part of being a fashion student?
I think the best part has definitely been having the freedom to be as creative as I wanted. Uni felt like the perfect space to really explore ideas without limits. The facilities were incredible, and having access to that kind of space, support, and guidance, especially towards the end of my degree, made a huge difference. It felt like the perfect excuse to fully commit to being creative.
The hardest part was time management. As an international student, balancing work, study and finances was challenging, especially without having family around for emotional or practical support. Learning how to manage all of that while staying creatively focused wasn’t always easy, but it taught me a lot.
How would you describe your collection to someone who’s never seen it before?
I would say, bold, comfy, big, soft and clever.
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What are you most proud of in your work so far?
I feel most proud of being able to move away from traditional and commercial fashion techniques. It’s easy to repeat things we’ve already seen, so being able to break from that and really push boundaries has been very important to me. Taking those risks and trusting my vision is something I’m genuinely proud of.
What do you wish you knew when you started on your collection?
That’s a hard question. I don’t know if I could have been more prepared, because the collection was very experimental and involved constant problem-solving. If anything, I wish I had more time to develop toiles and fully refine every detail to a point where I felt completely happy.
Who is exciting you the most in local fashion right now?
I can’t really name one specific local designer or brand but I really love what’s happening in the local fashion scene, especially in Melbourne. I like how a lot of designers are challenging traditional silhouettes and mixing new and vintage influences in a really natural way.
I’m drawn to how bold and creative they are, especially some of the designers playing with colour, texture and different cultural references.
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What about the local fashion industry needs to change?
I think what really needs to change in the fashion industry and the creative industry in general is the way creative labour is valued. There’s a mindset that being creative means constantly giving your time and work for free in order to be seen. While building a portfolio is part of the process, it’s something that has become normalised far beyond what is healthy.
In more traditional careers like administration, engineering, or medicine people might do an internship, but after that, their work is respected and paid. In creative fields – especially fashion – models, stylists, designers and artists are often expected to give everything away for free for years, hoping that one day someone will notice them.
I think we’ve become used to this way of working but it’s not sustainable. It creates an industry where creativity is undervalued and people struggle to build long-term careers. What needs to change is the mindset that creative work has value and deserves to be respected and compensated, just like any other profession.
Where do you hope to be in the next five years?
To be completely honest, I don’t know exactly where I’ll be in five years. As an international creative in Australia, it’s hard to predict what that will look like. What I do know is that I want to keep doing what I love.
Right now, I’m focusing on three areas that feel really important to me. The first is creating bold, expressive pieces and being able to experiment, go big and keep pushing myself. The second is styling and creative direction, which I’ve been exploring alongside my design work and really enjoy as another way of telling stories visually.
I also run a small ready-to-wear fashion business, which has been a meaningful project for me over the past two years. It’s still small, but I’d love to continue growing it in a way that feels aligned with my values. In five years, I just hope I’m still creating, growing and feeling proud of the projects I’m working on.
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How can we see more of your work?
I mostly share my work on Instagram, where you can see the projects I’ve been working on and what I’m currently exploring. I’m also in the process of building a website, where I’ll be sharing a lookbook and a more in-depth view of my designs and creative projects.
When do you feel your most creative?
I usually feel most creative after being out for the day just walking around, watching people, street life, everyday moments. I’m always taking photos of things I like, and when I can’t, I’ll write ideas or random thoughts in my phone.
It’s not really a specific time or routine, it’s more about moments. It’s a bit messy, to be honest.
If you could land a paid internship with any designer in the world, who would it be and why?
I’d love to intern with either Rick Owens or Acne Studios. Rick Owens really inspires me because of how risky and uncompromising his work is. He’s not focused on being commercial at all – he pushes silhouettes, goes to extremes, and every collection feels completely his. I also love how he connects fashion with other worlds, like art and furniture.
On the other hand, I’m really drawn to Acne Studios for the balance they create between being creative and wearable. I love the way they work with denim and I’m obsessed with denim… and how strong their branding, photography, and overall identity are. That mix of creativity and commercial awareness really resonates with me.
Get your tickets to the NGS Showcase at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival here.
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