A NATIONAL fashion industry centre for excellence should be established to aid designers struggling against a declining manufacturing base and the loss of specialist skills, a new report has found.
Posted by Lucky on Feb 2, 2010
“In recent decades the actual quantities of fashion apparel made in a traditional manufacturing environment in Australia has dramatically diminished,” says the report, Australian Fashion Directions: Getting it Right.
But while large clothing production factories “have all but vanished”, small fashion entrepreneurs “are emerging, and sometimes thriving”, according to the report commissioned by Melbourne’s International Specialised Skills Institute, an independent national skills development organisation.
Niche fashion businesses “hold the key to new design directions”, the report said, but they “require specific support systems, networks and linkages . . . beyond the initial incubation enthusiasm and moving into commercial, self-sufficient reality.”
A textiles, clothing and footwear skills centre should be founded to provide training, access to niche manufacturing, business mentoring and economic information in order to give them a future.
“The object of this TCF industry skills centre and talent incubator would be to nurture top talent through coaching, professional assistance, customised training and specialised resources and facilities. The end result would be individuals and companies capable of operation successfully on the world stage and enhancing Australia’s commercial reputation.”
The report also recommends raising the standards of fashion degree courses, which it claims are sometimes too low. “Not everyone can be a designer and not everyone who engages in training can be expected to pass, unless standards are very low. Standards are in danger of being compromised when high pass rates are artificially managed.”
The paper contrasts the creativity of niche designers with the “knock-off” mentality of mainstream medium-to-large-scale fashion companies, where “the design component is one of direct copying at worst and adaptation at best”.
It calls for the development of creative concepts unique to Australia, citing the success of established industry players in the areas of specialist surf wear, swimwear and bush apparel.
But it is no longer enough to simply incorporate a gumleaf print on a garment. “The cultivation of mature Australian design style with subtlety of identity is required, not another koala motif or desert colour palette.”
While the reduction of tariffs will inevitably bring about increased competition from a flood of cheap fashion imports, the increased access to overseas markets may bring alternative opportunities for Australians.
“There are several Australian brands, personality-driven, with well-established and maintained international design identities. This type of business should be poised to expand.”
Therese Rawsthorne, who founded her eponymous label in 2006, epitomises the innovative, independent designers Australian Fashion Directions would like to see flourish.
The Sydney-based designer has shown at Australian Fashion Week to considerable acclaim and sells to boutiques in Australia and overseas, but still struggles with several aspects of the business.
“I manufacture all my garments in Australia, but it’s quite hard to get small makers and skilled workers because it’s a dying industry here,” Rawsthorne says. “There are definitely restrictions on what you can do working on the scale that I do in Australia.”
She would welcome any initiatives that encouraged business mentoring and increased niche manufacturing in particular.
“Fashion is not an easy industry to work in; a lot of people just want to do the perceived glamorous side of the job but it’s actually a lot of hard work. In college they teach you how to think about design, rather than teach you how to work in the industry. The training for that comes afterwards through your own experience.”
