An accountant turned fashion designer and a costume design graduate with a background in ballet have taken out the top student awards for the class of 2024 in the Bachelor of Creative Arts (Fashion/Costume Design) at TAFE SA and Flinders University.

The awards, presented recently at the HomeStart Fashion and Costume Graduate Parade – Visionary Voyage - recognise commitment, creativity and a willingness to learn new skills across the three years of the course.

The 2025 HomeStart Fashion Graduate of the Year is Sophie Wehr and the 2025 HomeStart Costume Graduate of the Year is Dominic Boffa. HomeStart High Academic Merit Awards were presented to Ellie Goldfinch (Costume) and Lilli Orsillo (Fashion).

Sophie Wehr says being named Graduate of the Year Award has reassured her that she made the “right decision” switching career paths to further her interest in fashion.

“It was nice recognition for the time and effort I put into the course and it also felt like the award was saying ‘you’ve made the right decision’ because I was studying and working part-time in accountancy before moving to fashion,” Sophie says.

While completing her accountancy degree at UniSA, Sophie taught herself to sew through You Tube videos and as she progressed from making scrunchies to garments, her interest in the fashion industry grew.

“I think my brain likes the technical side of fashion, like finding the best way to make a garment so that it’s as functional as possible and I’ve considered all aspects,” she says.

During her study, Sophie completed a semester exchange to the University of Manchester where she gained experience using different software and technology, while the overseas program’s focus on sustainability and circularity provided food for thought.

“Living in the UK, we were also exposed to different fashion which was quite cool and having access to Europe helped open my mind to what was possible,” she says.

Sophie’s graduate collection, entitled #AllInTheDetail, was inspired by the merging of her accountancy and fashion experiences and features luxurious tailored pieces in contrasting shades of grey with a focus on design details.

“I’ve taken classic design components such as the cuffs, collars, lapels and pockets, and reimagined them to push the boundaries of the corporate silhouette,” says Sophie, adding that her “accountancy brain” thrives on the attention to detail.

She is now working with Adelaide-based fashion brand Aston Studio and is enjoying learning about all parts of the growing business.

The 2025 HomeStart Costume Graduate of the Year, Dominic Boffa, concedes he’s not a “subtle designer” opting for an over-the-top approach for his graduate collection, Miss Monumental.

Inspired by architectural styles and drag costumes, Dominic focused on creating a collection of elaborate national costumes for a fictional beauty pageant.

" My initial inspiration was architectural styles throughout history, but I needed an occasion for these garments to be worn,” he says.

“That's where the idea for the pageant came in and I moved to creating national costumes and representing specific landmarks.”

Miss Monumental features costuming for Miss Egypt, Miss Iraq, and Miss China, referencing the Great Sphinx, the Ziggurat of Ur, and the Forbidden City respectively.

Dominic laughs as he recalls working on his graduate collection and “learning that trial and error involves some error”.

“I’m a perfectionist and I’ve had to learn to be realistic about what I can do in the allocated timeframe,” he says.

“But I also wanted to make the most of my time in the course and learn as much as I could from the lecturers who have such a lot of knowledge.”

Earlier this year, Dominic started working for RM Williams and is appreciative of the chance to hone his construction skills with the iconic brand.

His interest in sewing and costume design began through his involvement with Duprada Dance Company in Alice Springs where he had been a ballet dancer since the age of 9.

“During COVID we did some sewing lessons when we weren’t allowed to dance and I enjoyed them, and the following year I became the ‘wardrobe department’ and I started making new pieces which was a lot of fun,” he says.

He was also inspired by an Alice Springs connection, fellow dancer Alex Stephens, who had moved to Adelaide to study the costume design course through TAFE SA and Flinders University and was sharing her experiences on social media.

With a long-term goal of working on costumes for musical theatre, Dominic made the move to Adelaide to study in 2022 and says he’s tried to absorb as much knowledge as he can.

“I’m really grateful for the award, it means a lot – I always want to be the best I can be,” he says.