Neneh Browne graduated from Queensland Academies Creative Industries (QACI) in 2013 after achieving her
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and developing a signature creative identity in Visual Arts and Design Technology.
Neneh heard about QACI through a friend and despite the distance from home she decided to apply because of her passion for creativity and challenge. She found opportunities for both at QACI and was able to tailor her studies towards a degree at university in the creative industries.
Since graduating from QACI Neneh has gone on to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts Fashion at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Throughout her studies Neneh has focused on combining her QACI Visual Arts and Design Technology practice with her fashion, and has taken a great interest to graphic design and integrating new technologies into her practice such as laser cutting and fabric printing.
In her last years of study Neneh has been fascinated with fun and creative womenswear designs, merging her artistic practice into a design application focusing primarily on exploring ideas of girlhood, the female experience, LGBT+ historic aesthetics and ethical fashion futures. This has culminated in a final body of university work which has since become her personal brand, MANEATER collection. The collection will continue on after uni as an accessory and in the near future casual wear label selling in Australian, New Zealand and online stores.
While studying at uni Neneh has taken many opportunities to broaden her practice and global-mindedness, spending half of her second year at university studying at Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (HTW) in Berlin Germany. Additionally, Neneh has also interned with Brisbane ethical fashion label NICO, and worked on projects such as growing kombucha textile with the state government at The State Library of Queensland – The Edge and The Fleet store, a QUT run local young designer initiative.
Neneh’s advice to students and their families contemplating QACI for senior high school is to embrace the opportunity to work with supportive educators who are committed to nurturing high achieving creative thinkers. The scope of the IB Diploma provided Neneh a challenge and a head-start into the rigour of tertiary learning; this is something many QACI graduates reflect on as one of the major benefits of the IB Diploma as a preparatory opportunity for further life-long learning.
Of the IB Learner attributes, Neneh shared that ‘Communicators’, ‘Caring’, and ‘Knowledgeable’ resonate with her experience at QACI. Neneh reflects:
'High school is a difficult time for a lot of people, and in that time I learned a lot about expressing myself creatively, pursuing my own future and desire for knowledge, and supporting and caring for those around me. These aspects have truly helped shaping me into someone who can constantly tackle tasks alone but also together!'