Launch of Association

On 17th October 2001, the Fashion Technicians Association of Australia was launched at the Auditorium, Kangan Batman TAFE, Richmond Campus, Melbourne. 100 invitations were sent out and 103 people attended.

The launch was the culmination of 10 months of planning by 22 foundation members lead by Barbara Davis, researcher and author of Towards Pattern Making Technology as a Source of Competitive Advantage. The foundation members came together as a result of undertaking Barbara’s training courses for senior patternmakers. Through her courses, technicians became aware of and discussed the issues surrounding their role within the Australian apparel industry.

The main areas of concern were:

• the erosion of the technical knowledge base in Australia
• technicians are often working in isolation and don’t have an opportunity to exchange ideas
• the role of the technician in the Australian apparel industry is often not seen as a professional  role and is often marginalised in the development process
• the lack of ongoing skills development within Australia.

As part of the launch, the FTAA invited a number of prominent industry managers to address the meeting.

Guest speakers included:

• Frank Kisvada, President TFIA
• Daran Ponton, Manager QC, Myer Ltd
• Sandy Sly, Pattern Manager, Scuttle Clothing
• Faye Browne, Owner, Motto Clothing
• Mandy Penton, Kangan TAFE

The launch was an outstanding success and generated a lot of enthusiasm within the industry. The Fashion Technicians Association of Australia had formally begun.