Bassike co-founder Mary Lou Ryan talks through the challenges facing local fashion manufacturers.
What are the challenges facing the local fashion manufacturing sector? What is being done to address it?
The major challenge currently faced by our local manufacturing sector is the on-going restrictions in Greater Sydney – particularly in the local government areas of concern, which act as a major hub for our Australian industry and where garment manufacturing has been omitted from the authorised workers list.
These regulations have greatly impacted the capacity of our supply chain, by restricting the movement of makers who we are confident could otherwise continue working in a COVID-safe way – due to the nature of their work and stringent COVID safety health measures already in place.
Overall, what are the pros and cons for manufacturing onshore for Australian fashion businesses?
Producing locally certainly comes at a higher cost to making offshore, but we always knew this was the right decision for bassike and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We know our makers are being paid fair wages and being treated with respect.
We are able to visit each other regularly to co-create our collections, exactly as they were imagined.
How can other brands help to make a difference right now?
It’s so important that we band together as an industry to move forward and ensure our local designers, brands, makers and creative community can continue to flourish.
To make a difference we need to have our voices and message heard, so I would encourage other local brands to reach out to their State and Federal Members of Parliament to draw attention to the issue, highlight the short and long-term economic impacts of this shut down and advocate for the future of our industry.
What are some long-term solutions to bring back/establish more local manufacturing?
The last 12 months has led a lot of people to reflect on their values, and now more than ever we are seeing such strong interest and support from customers wanting to buy and wear Australian made.
The long-term relationships we have built with our supply chain over 15 years at Bassike were so key to our COVID response plan; giving us flexibility to shift delivery schedules, support a sustainable workflow and provide long-term job security.
As the current workforce continues to age, we need to ensure we have the education, skills-based training, and incentives to encourage new makers to join the industry and work in partnership with designers to produce quality, contemporary Australian fashion.
Gender equality is an issue embedded at the heart of the fashion industry, with women representing over 70% of the workforce.
It is so integral that we continue to highlight the women behind the scenes in our local industry and the role they play in supporting the sector, their own family’s and the broader community.
What excites you about Australian makers and the future?
We are constantly inspired by the skill of our makers and are proud to be able to contribute to our local industry by preserving and fostering talent within our home country, all the while reducing our environmental impact with the benefit of a short supply chain.