Four Point Cook students have won a business award after developing a plan to change the way women shop for clothes.
The year 11 students won Victoria University’s annual ‘I Plan a Business’ contest, earning them a share of $250.
They shared the win with students from Heidelberg’s Our Lady of Mercy College, who developed a vegan, gluten-free ice-cream.
Point Cook Senior Secondary College’s Ashlee Brown, Larissa Athanassiou, Taneeka Dasilveria and Ashlea Stafrace were recognised for their business plan for a women’s clothing store that used an electronic scanner to fit clothes to customers’ bodies.
Ashlea said shoppers would be able to scan a code on clothes they wanted to try on before having their bodies scanned in a change room.
The clothes are then projected on to their bodies and shown in a mirror.
She said the method would save shoppers lots of time.
“You don’t have to keep going back for different sizes,’’ she said.
‘‘All you have to do is look at a screen.
‘‘The scanners will also reduce theft, because there will only be one of each item on the floor.”
Ashlee said the girls came up with the idea after visiting Scienceworks on a school excursion. She said the project was modelled on the use of body scanners at airports.
“We saw a similar thing where you can use the scanners to put on armour, and that gave us the idea for our business plan,’’ Ashlee said.
The students’ business plan included a budget for a store and an inventory list of items it would stock.
They spent about five weeks putting the project together.
Taneeka said the award showed their hard work had paid off.
“The competition motivated us and gave us a chance to experience what it’s like to do business in the real world.”
