NATIONAL: The Council of Textiles & Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) hopes to use a new round of federal government funding to put the national sizing standard crisis to bed.
TFIA executive director Jo Kellock has launched a campaign encouraging industry members to form a consortium and apply for the TCF Strategic Capability Program (SCP), which will commence in 2010/11 and supports collaborative projects with a value of over $1 million.
While consultations between industry and government are still underway, the TCF SCP will essentially offer $30 million in competitive grants to industry over the next five years. Funding for the first year is expected to be $4 million, with the government contributing one dollar for every dollar put forward by applicants, meaning a project worth $1 million in total will see the government contribute $500,000.
Kellock believes this is the only way forward for the sector, after an expected $5 million in funding for a national sizing survey failed to eventuate in the 2009 federal budget. She said while funds were limited to $4 million for the TCF SCP for the first year, it would make a “very good start” towards addressing an issue which has plagued the sector for over 50 years.
The last major national sizing survey was conducted in 1926 by underwear manufacturer Berlei.
“Because funding under the TCF SCP program is limited for 2010/11, instead of spending money on a population survey, it might be better spent on a collaborative project which develops the infrastructure and standards for the data and at the same time encourages the industry to buy in,” she said.
Kellock said similar surveys overseas have been funded by amounts of $5 million to $10 million, depending on how many subjects were scanned.
A simple scan will cost between $120 and $200 per person but additional costings could include marketing the program, space hire, the employment of trained measurement experts, software to record data as well as freight, storage and administration expenses. Data extraction software and analysis costs will also need to be factored in, Kellock said.
“Industry could contribute outside the funding program by offering retail space, change rooms to scan customers and product to be scanned in such as close fitting garments,” she said. “Government could also help with the actual survey by having its own entity –
www.measure.gov.au for instance – oversee the conduct of the body scanning process to ensure it meets international best practice and hold the raw data to ensure it stays in public hands.”
Kellock is currently compiling a sample sizing report to distribute to industry members.
Assia Benmedjdoub