Defending graduation papers is always a spectacular and unforgettable event, which becomes more impressive every year. For many years, Southern Federal University has been successfully training highly qualified specialists who are fully prepared for professional work in the world of design, including costume design. Each such event becomes not only an important stage in the life of students, but also a real celebration of creativity and skill, leaving a deep impression on all participants.

The works were evaluated by teachers of the Design Department of the SFedU Academy of Architecture and Arts: Head of the Design Department, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Anna Kuleshova, senior lecturer of the Design Department Maria Cherkasova and invited representatives of the fashion industry, potential employers: chief designer of Alice Fashion Rus JSC, Rostov-on-Don Julia Ganzha, designer of Morphology LLC Rostov-on-Don, Maria Druzhinina, head of the full-cycle factory of the clothing brand "People LIKE US" (Angelika Pavlik). Chairman of the State Commission — Director of the Technological Institute of Service (branch) of the Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Donskoy State Technical University" in Stavropol, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor Elena Drofa.

"The members of the commission are usually leading designers and our industry partners, including representatives of well-known fashion brands, who are eyeing the young staff. Companies often find suitable candidates with us. For example, for several years in a row, representatives of Alice Fashion Rus have been coming to us to defend their graduation papers," said Anna Kuleshova, Head of the Department of Design, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor

Anna Alexandrovna also shared that students choose themes for their clothing collections, focusing primarily on modern events and phenomena that surround, excite and evoke emotions. Basically, students are given freedom of choice. Much attention is paid to ethnic and cultural themes. For example, this year, a student from China, Shao Fan, is defending a thesis that is imbued with Chinese motives and love for the culture of his people. Bamboo motifs and Asian aesthetics are subtly interwoven into the modern style of the costumes of his graduation collection. Graduates are not afraid to turn to historical eras and futuristic ideas for inspiration, which makes their work multifaceted, interesting and expressive.

The defense of final qualifying papers opened with the collection "Naiads", presented by student Alexandra Batchenko. According to the author, the name of the collection was inspired by the beautiful images of water nymphs from ancient Greek mythology and embodies their mystery, dreaminess, unity with nature, lightness and grace.

"Female images of pre-Raphaelite artists, in particular John William Waterhouse, were chosen as an associative and figurative source. These images, regardless of whether they belong to river nymphs, heroines of medieval legends or famous authors, embody the timeless ideal of fragile femininity," Alexandra shared.

The graduation work "A collection of youth clothing based on elements of football uniforms", authored by Alice Simonenko, was based on techniques such as customization and upsycling. Rethinking the form allowed us to achieve new interesting textured and silhouette solutions and gave things a second life, which corresponds to the environmental agenda that is relevant among young people. The key color of the collection was blue, which represented freedom of spirit, and the project also featured a mix of different textures and details.

"I chose this topic for two reasons. Firstly, football in our country is going through difficult times right now, due to the introduction of Fan ID, attendance at stadiums is decreasing, and the magical atmosphere created by active fans is disappearing. I wanted to draw attention to this problem. Secondly, there is my personal story here. My dad instilled my passion for football more than 10 years ago, and for a long time I could not find a practical application for this," said the graduate.

No one was left indifferent by Alisa Alikhanov's bold collection, the concept of the work is based around gaming culture. This synthesis of the game of the past and the present reflects the inextricable link between the exuberant development of the game culture of masquerades, booths, tournaments of the Middle Ages and modern games.

"The collection is based on the basic shapes of the oversize, its author's prints, pinches on fabrics, decorative and functional elements in the form of zippers complicate it. Historical stylistic references and natural colors "ground" the collection and do not let you forget about the past, while bright neon accents remind you of modernity," Alice added.

The defense ended with the screening of the Maria Runets-Bang collection. The concept is based on a reinterpretation of the image of Joan of Arc through the prism of Ghost theatrical imagery, where armor turns into costume elements and accessories, and symbolism into decorative elements.

"The central metaphor of the collection is the idea of a spiritual army. The color scheme is based on deep blue, restrained gray-blue cream tones, supported by unusual textures of fabrics that refer both to the elements of the Middle Ages and to the stage images of Ghost, with accents in the form of silver highlights imitating ancient armor. The collection is accompanied by a cold metallic sheen and the clarity of the sun's rays breaking through the glass," Maria shared.

The graduate also added that the purpose of the collection was to create the image of a modern Joan of Arc. A female knight is the image of a modern girl, but the battlefield has changed its shape and context. If Jeanne d'If Arc fought for France, then the modern woman is fighting for herself.

Maria's work attracted the attention of Angelica Pavlik, the head of the full-cycle sewing factory of the PEOPLE LIKE US brand.

"The defense of the last student attracted me with its concept. All the products are made quite restrainedly and neatly, exactly matching the given theme. In general, this aesthetic of minimalism with elegant lines and clear proportions is close to me, which is why I liked this particular work the most," commented Angelika Sergeevna.

In addition, the representative of the brand "People like us" stressed that the work of current graduates seemed to her much better and stronger than in previous years. Angelika Pavlik noted that all the collections are made in a single theme with deep information content, while harmoniously reflecting both the spiritual and the material component through colors and materials. It was Maria Runets-Bang who was recognized as the best by all members of the state examination committee and recommended the author for the award of a medal in the name of Yuri Zhdanov to them.

The show turned out to be bright and dynamic, which pleased both the members of the commission and the audience. The students demonstrated a high level of preparation of their theses, as a result of which the graduates received high marks.