Meet the 16-Year-Old Who Is Already an Award-Winning Designer and Finished a SABA Internship

This post is presented in partnership with Wool4School.

Chanelle Davenport was just trying to figure out what to do after school, when she unknowingly stumbled into something she’s now head over heels in love with.

The 16-year-old told Student Edge, “I saw this [competition] in a Girlfriend magazine and thought I should give it a go and see how things worked out.”

As they say, you never know what you can do till you try. Chanelle took this intuition on board and entered the Wool4School design competition at the age of 14, thinking, "might as well just give it a go".

“I ended up getting an honourable mention the first year I did it,” she recalled.

Good things usually come with perseverance, so Chanelle decided to give it another crack the following year. Boom. Another honourable mention. With practise and patience, she started building up more confidence.

Third time’s a charm. “I finally won in Year 11 and thought this is something I should continue with,” she shared.

“The brief was to design a female or male uniform for our favourite sports team, [and] it had to convey [an] Australian team spirit.”

Pictured: Illustrations of Chanelle Davenport's Wool4School submission, "True Colours". Supplied.

The judges were on the lookout for designs that were not only aesthetically pleasing, but ones that were distinctly Australian. “[The design] had to use at least 70 per cent Merino wool,” Chanelle explained.

It was at this point in time Chanelle’s passion for design really kicked into gear. She’d always had an inkling that she'd do well in the creative arts, and thought that might lead her to something within the design realm.

Pictured: Chanelle Davenport's mood board for Wool4School submission, "True Colours". Supplied.

As part of her prize, she was offered an internship at SABA Design. “They showed me around how Saba operates,” said Chanelle. “Each day I looked at different departments.”

She got to experience a typical work week in the life of a professional designer. “Monday, I looked at womenswear; Tuesday [it was] fitting; Wednesday, marketing; Thursday, planning; [and] Friday, menswear.”

It was womenswear that Chanelle particularly enjoyed. “[It] was really good, I got to see how they made their mood boards and the programs they use [because] they make their own patterns for their clothing,” she explained.

Chanelle is now eligible for Wool4School's Year 12 competition. And the prize? Even better than an internship.

“[The Woolmark Company is] offering a scholarship to Whitehouse Institute of Design,” Chanelle said, excitedly. “I really want to get that.”

Wool4School is an annual student design competition, open to all Australian school students from years 7 to 12, encouraging budding fashion designers to show the nation what they’re made of. You can enter your submissions here. For further information visit wool4school.com and don’t forget to #wool4school your progress.

Photos supplied by Chanelle Davenport.