Fashion council launches plan of action

The recently-formed Australian Fashion Council (AFC) has swung into action with the launch of a designer handbook and the staging of a series of seminars.
The handbook - to be distributed to around 500 designers and fashion businesses free of charge - contains information about government grants and assistance programs available to designers at both state and federal levels.
AFC general manager Zoe Edquist said the launch of the handbook is timely as while there is a lot of information about grants, finding the right department and so on could be a "very difficult, confusing and time consuming" exercise.
Edquist said the handbook would also provide information about the sort of assistance the AFC can provide to members, such as legal and business planning advice, provision of standard terms and conditions for supply and agency contracts.
The AFC's inaugural event, taking place on April 20, will boast seminars on the new grants available to fashion designers through [government body] AusIndustry, as well as sessions by export body Austrade and Melbourne Law firm Middletons on copyright and intellectual property issues.
While the seminar was free, interested designers should register prior to the event due to limited space.
The AFC was also currently developing a national skills register - to launch later this year - which would contain details of skilled contractors and companies involved in the production field, such as pattern makers, cut make and trim contractors, factories and fabric agents, Edquist confirmed.
"The development of the skills register is designed to alleviate the difficulties designers frequently face in identifying suitable suppliers and contractors to manufacture their designs."