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The Third International Conference of Fashion Incubators was held at the prestigious Parmelia Hilton Hotel between the 11th -13th September, 2011 with international fashion delegates from over 24 countries attending Perth.   Thirty four seminar presentations were made during the 3 day conference covering a wide range of fashion related business topics
Supporters included:
City of Perth, AusIndustry, Perth Fashion Week, Global Fashion Wire, The Sunday Times, DonorTec, Alpha Models, Parmelia Hilton and Expedia

Conference Convenor, Carol Hanlon said “The Conference was one of the biggest that our TCF WA community organisation  has undertaken, and was a resounding success. It was fantastic to have that many people passionate about assisting the emerging  fashion, textile, clothing, leather and footwear industry around the world, all in one place. I am also pleased to announce that the fourth International Conference of Fashion Incubators will be held in Canada by the Toronto Fashion Incubator in 2013.”

Murray Yarran a Noongar man from the Ballardong tribe will perform the ‘Welcome to Country’ at the opening of the conference. 'Welcome to Country' is an important ceremony by Aboriginal people and inviting them to perform it helps non-Indigenous people recognise Aboriginal culture and history.

Roisin McLachlan and Zak Hogen-Esch are the Alpha Empire. Together they have over 25 years’ experience in the fashion industry. As international models both Roisin and Zak have travelled and worked across the world including Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai – and of course Australia.

Ms Yen T.H Dam, TOPICA Fashion Incubator Program, TOPICA Accelerator (a unit of TOPICA Education Group) will be addressing the conference about the fashion industry in Vietnam. TOPICA Accelerator has launched the first fashion incubator program in Vietnam in conjunction with Elite Vietnam, a member of Elite Model World Network and Yen will be sharing her experiences about new opportunities and challenges of fashion incubation in Vietnam.

To assure that foreign traders have information accessibility, service and convenience necessary for sourcing materials or importing Thai products into their countries, the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) of the Ministry of Commerce serves as a link between Thai exporters and foreign buyers by providing its highly convenient service. Conference Convenor of the Third International Conference of Fashion Incubators Carol Hanlon said, “Those with a keen eye on prosperous business partnership in Asia, look to Thailand, and it is fantastic that they will be apart of the Third International Conference of Fashion Incubators in Perth next month.”

Chandrima Chatterjee, Director, Compliance and Economic & Consultancy from the Apparel Export Promotion Council, (AEPC) in Gurgaon, India will be addressing the conference on ‘Sourcing Textile and Apparel in India’. Ms Chatterjee has over 13 years of experience in economic research with various consulting firms and trade associations. She is presently heading the Compliance Cell and the Economic Consultancy Division of Apparel Export promotion Council (AEPC). AEPC is one of the largest Export promotion Councils in India with over 5000 members from the garment manufacturers and exporters across India.

AusIndustry has a number of programs for Textile Clothing and Footwear businesses, Australian manufacturers and those who design for manufacture in Australia including: Clothing and Household Textile Building Innovative Capability Scheme; TCF Corporate Wear Register; TCF Strategic Capability Program; TCF Small Business Program and the Tradex program. Conference Convenor of the Third International Conference of Fashion Incubators Carol Hanlon said, “AusIndustry are a key source of information and referral over a range of business areas. They work across all levels of government and reach even the most remote areas of Australia. We are excited to have them exhibiting at our international conference in Perth.”

Kylie Hansen, Chief Executive Officer of ‘Carpets for Communities’ Cambodia will address the conference about the very important and empowering project. ‘Carpets for Communities’ provide immediate intervention to children at risk of child labour and human trafficking. They empower mothers to earn an income through the production of hand-made, eco-friendly rugs and support them develop micro-enterprises do this.‘Carpets for Communities’, works in the Poipet Commune, Cambodia which is on the Thailand border.

Keachea Dixon is an attorney licensed in New York and Jamaica and heads up Gordon Dixon & Company’s Intellectual Property and Entertainment division, concentrating on copyright, conveyances/real estate, entertainment, information technology, patent and trademark law. She will be addressing the conference on ‘How To Manage The Use Of Your Intellectual Property On The Internet To Shape Your Future In The Global Fashion & Design Industries’.

The first inaugural Perth Fashion Week will take place in Perth during March 2012 and will attract buyers, media, models, designers & the fashion savvy, providing a dynamic array of opportunities to network & engage with the art of fashion. Former Model / Fashion Designer / Stylist Sylvia Giacci is Director of Perth Fashion Week, and said, “We are proud to partner and work with the Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA) on their International event. Both organisations support those in the fashion trade business, and the alignment of our events and audience is great.”