The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) and R.M.Williams have launched a new National Manufacturing Strategy for Australian Fashion and Textiles 2026 – 2036, offering the first coordinated national roadmap to rebuild domestic manufacturing capability across Australia's textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) sector. As AFC’s official print and projection partner, Epson are fully supporting this ten-year national manufacturing strategy.
(l-r) Epson Australia Managing Director Craig Heckenberg, Samantha Delgos, General Manager, Australian Fashion Council, Marianne Perkovic, Executive Chair, Australian Fashion Council and Epson Australia Corporate Marketing Manager, Priscilla Dickason
Craig Heckenberg, Managing Director, Epson Australia says: “Epson is firmly committed to our partnership with the Australian Fashion Council and our joint goals around improving local manufacturing, furthering innovation and developing digital transformation. To that end, we are also working closely with the AFC on a feasibility study for a ‘smart factory’ and shared manufacturing hubs similar to those we have already developed and implemented with The Social Outfit and Citizen Wolf, where Epson’s direct-to-fabric digital printing technologies play a part in the overall production workflow.”
The Strategy comes at a critical time for the industry. With 97% of Australia’s clothing and textile products manufactured offshore, the sector remains vulnerable to ongoing global supply disruptions and trade volatility. Rather than compete against high-volume offshore manufacturing markets, the Strategy is focused on closing structural gaps and accelerating advanced manufacturing to scale the sector’s comparative advantage, aiming to position Australia to compete globally in premium, technology-enabled and traceable production, built on the country’s natural fibre strengths.
Independent modelling by RMIT University suggests that full implementation of the Strategy's coordinated policy platform will grow TCF manufacturing value from $2.6 billion to $2.9bn by 2030/31, delivering a cumulative $1.4bn economic dividend over five years. The Strategy is also projected to create more than 1,000 new skilled jobs and $864m in additional wages, with approximately half of those jobs projected to be filled by women.
Heckenberg adds: “This strategy represents an important step forward for Australia’s fashion and textile industry. Epson is proud to support this initiative and to help accelerate the adoption of advanced digital technologies that can drive greater sustainability, unlock new opportunities, and create the jobs of the future.”
