Uncovering Australia's Design Talent

It is a long hard road to get your designs into finished product and hanging on the racks of Australian or International boutiques, and 10 times harder if you are living in an isolated or regional part of Australia, but due to the efforts of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc. (TCFWA) and the Perth based Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc. (BBEC) over 650 women from across Australia will have the opportunity to participate in TCF Australia Uncovered Business Skills Project providing specialized Online mentoring, Business Workshops, Group Meetings and one on one Business Matching with TCF industry specialists. TCFWA is searching Australia for:-

TCF MENTORS WANTED - Share your business skills and talents with others
TCFWA is calling for experienced TCF business operators from across Australia who would like to assist women from regional and isolated locations with their business development by becoming an online Mentor, be a Guest Speaker and/or participate in Business Matching services at various locations across Australia during 2004-2005.

DESIGNERS WANTED FROM REGIONAL AND ISOLATED AUSTRALIA - Develop your business skills and grow your business

TCFWA is accepting applications from designers and small business owners operating within the textile, clothing, footwear and leather or creative industries in regional and isolated Australia to participate in this exciting new project with sponsored specialized mentoring, workshops, meetings and one on one business matching across Australia during 2004 - 2005.

The national TCF Australia Uncovered Business Skills project is for women operating a creative business in regional or isolated Australia and is scheduled to commence in August 2004 and run through to November 2005, the Project has scheduled a series of specialized activities that will be held from far North and South WA, Darwin, Alice Springs, Geelong, Tasmania and also in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth scheduled during major fashion trade events such as Fashion Exposed, Mercedes Australian Fashion Week, Australian Fashion Awards held in Brisbane and Perth Fashion Festival.

Carol Hanlon, Manager of TCF WA and Belmont BEC, designed the TCF Australia Business Skills Development project based on her 37 years of experience both directly and indirectly within the Australian fashion industry. Carol operated her own fashion label and clothing factory in Geelong, Victoria for 20 years and appreciates many of the restraints of operating regionally based. Over the past 10 years Carol has run the Belmont BEC and 6 years ago also established TCFWA. The only TCF Resource Centre of its kind operating in Australia, Carol is constantly receiving requests for assistance from across Australia from women who do not know where to turn to get their garments or products over those many hurdles in developing their business in a complex and fast moving industry.

Special focus of the project will be to concentrate on young fashion designers and those from multicultural and/or indigenous backgrounds. The spotlight is now shining on the creative industries which are now being recognized by government and economic development organizations as being one of the driving forces in attracting increased tourism, new residents to locate to a region and increasing property values where creativity, innovation and new ideas are constantly flowing.

TCF WA & Belmont BEC has thousands of people accessing its services with clients coming from all over the state. One young girl drove from Broome just to attend a Starting a Fashion Label Workshop given by Carol, but others fly from Esperance and Albany to attend events and TCF workshops. A number of indigenous designers Carol has assisted have gone onto international acclaim within Asia or in Europe with their textiles and garments.

When judging the Northern Terrrority Fashion Awards in 2003 last year, Carol was impressed with the talent and provided workshops and mentoring sessions whilst visiting the event. Once Carol identifies a need within a community, she goes about creating a project to provide assistance and support to those in need. Carol has also recently been presenting her Starting a Fashion Label workshops across Australia through the Sydney BEC and at the Melbourne Fashion Design Incubator.

TCF Australia uncovered Business Skills project is an Australian Government funded service under the Small Business Enterprise Culture Program and is supported by the Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc., Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc., WA Office of Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Perth Fashion Festival, Business and Professional Women WA and was launched by Senator Susan Knowles representing the Minister Small for Business and Tourism, Joe Hockey at the Belmont BEC’s 10th Birthday celebrations on July 7, 2004

designedge – TCF Australia uncovered, in 2003 was originally a trade exhibition staged in Perth to provide a showcase of fashion design talent from independent operators, of which many successful export stories still continue to flow from that inaugural event. In 2004, TCF Australia uncovered Business Skills project will take a different slant and will concentrate on uncovering design talent in remote and regional Australia and provide business skills development in the form of online mentoring, specialist workshops and meeting and one on one mentoring and business matching opportunities.

Interested designers or mentors can email tcfaustralia@tcfwa.com to receive an application form or lodge interest in being involved in the TCF Australia Uncovered Business Skills project or phone 08 9479 3777 or view www.tcfwa.com/tcfaustralia.html

TCFWA is a non profit community association established to assist WA's textile, clothing, footwear and leather industry. Belmont BEC is also a non profit community association established to assist people to start a business or to improve an existing business. Other community projects of the Belmont BEC include the Belmont Clothes Library; Multicultural Business Support Services; Business Workshops for Youth and Australian Designer Showcase projects.