Whitehouse fashions a new look for Royal Randwick

The Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia has partnered with the Australian Jockey Club to fashion a new look for the staff of Randwick Racecourse, Sydney.

Chris Wilson, Project Manager for the Australian Jockey Club, worked with third year Whitehouse Fashion Design students to re-design staff uniforms which had not been reviewed for at least 15 years. Students were invited to the racecourse to see staff at work and analyse the needs of a variety roles - from management through to porters - to develop a professional design portfolio that would meet the practical needs of all staff whilst building on the fashionable brand of the Australian Jockey Club. Each student presented a final portfolio for consideration.

The portfolio of Alison Roffe was unanimously selected by the final judging panel, including fashion industry representatives Nicole and Simone Zimmermann, Kate Waterhouse and Paul Fitzpatrick from Dallen Design and Australian Jockey Club representatives, CEO Norman Gillespie, Executive Director of Hospitality and Events Lynell Peck and Executive Dining Room Manager Virginia Trimmis. The judging panel was particularly impressed with continuity and structure of the Alison's portfolio, and commended the featured use of purple - the color of royalty - representing the tradition of "Royal Randwick" and racing as the sport of kings. Billie Whitehouse was also highly commended for her portfolio.

Congratulations go to all students involved, who were recognised by the Australian Jockey Club for their talent, effort and professionalism. Whitehouse fashion design students also expressed their gratitude at the opportunity to work with the Australian Jockey Club to develop a professional portfolio that will be a valuable asset to drive their design careers on graduation.

Alison begins working on realising her collection with the Australian Jockey Club in June, with the official launch scheduled for 2009. The collection will be previewed in 2008.