ith collaborative solutions,” said Kellie Hush, senior advisor of the AFC. “Most importantly, the hope is that digital transformation in the design process will ultimately reduce textile waste and carbon emissions by limiting the number of physical samples created.” Cue and Bianca Spender are among the 12 fashion labels undergoing the program, including up-and-coming fashion brands such as Daniel Avakian, Eupheme, Matteau, and West 14th.  Announced last year, the program will help these businesses to understand the financial and environmental benefits of designing and sampling products digitally, as well as turning 3D models of their products into metaverse-ready NFTs. “This program is an extraordinary example of what happens when really determined folks come together to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems in their own backyard,” said Tracey Hamilton from creative consultancy Moveo Global, which has partnered with the AFC to bring the program to life.  “We’re really looking forward to getting everyone together over the next six months and see that gap between emerging fashion brands and enterprise fashion brands start to narrow.” Tapping into the tech space The program aims to foster an exchange of knowledge between fashion and technology companies, and provide these brands with the know-how to utilise 3D sampling solutions and turn them into final digital assets. Tech providers on board include online fit solution StyleAtlas, imaging software company Bandicoot, patternmaker Couture CAD, and digital fashion specialist Ponz Studio, and NFT marketplace Neuno.io. These tech businesses will support the 12 fashion brands from designing digital fabrics and sampling, to turning these disparate assets into usable 3D models – which can also be used through e-commerce channels to better display a product’s fit and specifications.  The AFC program has also partnered with University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to connect brands with some of the industry’s best thinkers.  “This is an amazing opportunity to tap into the creative precinct that we are a part of, and fashion is a big part of that,” said UTS’ John Albert, acting director of corporate relations. “Through the process of creating this program, we really looked at the needs of SMEs. In the past, the way we engaged with SMEs was quite transactional, and it was usually through the lens of research. “So we really wanted to create a program that was very holistic and SME-centred. It’s a mechanism to connect with our talent, researchers, infrastructure and expertise, and [what] we’re trying to do is dispel the myths around the emerging technologies that are out there.” According to Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre’s Simon Dawson, as the pace of change quickens, businesses need to be ready to adopt emerging technologies, as they could become mainstream within a matter of months.  “We’re in a world where adoption [of technology] is almost vertical, and if something becomes the norm it does so globally,” Dawson said.  “All of these technologies are becoming cheaper, easier to engage with, and they’re all designed to be scalable.  “I’m a strong believer that the challenge we have in Australia across all of our sectors is that there is so much inertia [in what they’re already doing], and that we need to be thinking about change. Hopefully we can deliver a sense of pragmatism around how to actually do some of this stuff.”