Hub to foster fashion synergies
MELBOURNE: A new development in the Victorian capital's fashion heartland promises to promote allegiances between key industry players.
Situated in Gipps Street, Collingwood, Glassworks fashion hub - which has already signed the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) and TFIA division the Australian Fashion Council (AFC)among its first tenants - is currently fielding offers from fashion businesses for its showrooms, offices, studios and warehousing, Glassworks developer ICR Property and Investment Group confirmed.
ICR managing director David Gibbs said the company hoped the development would become a creative centre for fashion design and other creative industries.
"In my opinion Glassworks is a unique development in Australia bringing together key elements of the fashion design supply chain to enable tenants to build and develop strong and dynamic supply chain relationships."
Stage one of the development would include 17 showrooms ranging in size from 50 to 175 square metres, four two-storey office warehouses, eight further warehouses, a 74-seat licensed café, on-site parking, a central display area and storage facilities. A second stage would comprise further office/studio space of up to 4000 square metres.
"As an integrated development Glassworks could see fashion designers alongside wholesalers, agents, modelling agencies and photographers all capitalising on potential supply chain linkages," Gibbs noted, adding it was hoped the spaces could also be used to stage fashion festivals and events.
The TFIA and AFC had signed a lease for ground floor showrooms at Glassworks and would take up residence by September 2007, TFIA executive director Ashley Van Krieken confirmed.
"The proposal to develop a fashion design hub has been discussed on numerous occasions as a path to developing niche fashion and design opportunities for the TCF sector. The Abbotsford and Collingwood area is a great location and I will be interested in seeing how Glassworks is greeted by the industry," he said.
AFC general manager Zoe Edquist described Glassworks as a boon for the council.
"Our previous offices were not really big enough to accommodate our needs, so our training, statistics and small business activities were spread out across different locations. The new space will allow us to communicate and cross pollinate ideas much more effectively," she said.
By Belinda Smart