Shepparton’s Zahra Al Hindawi, 20, studies childcare and works in hospitality, but her true passion is fine art and design - a talent she nurtures quietly in her spare time, drawing, painting and designing garments.
As she approached the end of high school, Ms Al Hindawi’s interest in visual art grew, and she taught herself to refine her drawing skills by studying YouTube videos.
She said she had always wanted to do a creative TAFE course, but there was nothing available in Shepparton that suited her interests.
“They didn’t have at TAFE the programs that I wanted to get into, unless you drive to Melbourne or Bendigo or somewhere else,” she said.
Commuting long distances or moving cities wasn’t feasible for Ms Al Hindawi, so she decided to bide her time.
Now the kind of opportunity she has long dreamed of is a reality.
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Ms Al Hindawi is one of 10 young people embarking on a year-long journey in fashion and design, conducted in a partnership between the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District and Melbourne's Holmesglen TAFE.
The fashion and cultural event, called FACE of Shepp, gives the group aged between 18 and 30 the opportunity to work with creative mentors, learn textile and garment design skills, and gain a grasp of the intricacies of creative industries.
Over the next 12 months participants will create visual diaries with Stacey Popovski, go behind-the-scenes at Melbourne Fashion Week, and get busy at a sewing machine, with the ultimate goal of presenting one garment each on the top floor of SAM.
Workshops are scheduled for weekends and spaced out over a year, meaning participants may simultaneously maintain full-time work or other study commitments.
When Kimberley Chu, 23, spotted the free program advertised in a Shepparton Festival brochure, having moved to town just six months earlier, she was thrilled to have a chance to explore an interest she’d previously put to the side.
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As a high school student in Hong Kong, Ms Chu had to choose between studying art or physics.
While she loved the former discipline, the latter was essential if she wanted to study engineering at university, which was her aim.
“When I was very young, I always wanted to do DIY stuff,” she said.
“So I tried to make clothes for myself and also my younger brother out of rubbish bags, because we didn’t have all the materials.”
Ms Chu said her mum encouraged her to pursue art as a hobby, not a career.
FACE of Shepp co-ordinators Fiona Smolenaars and Kathy Fuller hope the program gives young people like Ms Chu and Ms Al Hindawi the chance to explore untapped potential.
But the organisers place no pressure on participants to work toward a certain outcome.
Mrs Fuller said some participants might pursue a creative career, while others would simply nurture a passion they kept for their spare time.
“We have such a multicultural town,” she said.
“And we know there's just hidden talent out there.”
Mrs Fuller said there was plenty of scope for Holmesglen to establish a permanent offering for students in Shepparton, and this year's offering would act as a trial.
The first workshop, scheduled for Saturday at African House, will be rescheduled to the earliest suitable date once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
