April 17, 2013
Designedge Innovation Festival 2013 will run from 15th April through to 31st May with more than 90 events, seminars, webinars, networking forums and displays being staged in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales and broadcasted nationally ONLINE.
The events will bring together small business owners, innovators, fashion designers, creatives, business associations, local governments and community groups. The 2013 Designedge Innovation Festival is an associate festival of the Australian Innovation Festival. The major sponsor for 2013 is the City of Belmont, and major supporter is the TCF Australia ONLINE Energy Efficiency Training & Mentoring Project. Other supporters include the Australian Innovation Festival, Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc. (TCFWA), Belmont BEC, MY Business Incubator Project, BPW Business Incubator Project, sponsors, supporters and volunteers.

March 15, 2013
17 TCFWA and TCF Global representatives recently attended ‘Preview in Daegu’, the International Textile Fair in Korea during March 2013. A combination of designers, textile artists, and fashion textile buyers attended the show.
Carol Hanlon, CEO of TCFWA and TCF Global said of the Fair, “All delegates were in praise of the wonderful hospitality of The Province of Gyeongsangbuk-do and the Government of Western Australia (Korea Office), and the event organisers from ‘Preview in Daegu’ who also contributed sponsorship to the delegates to attend the event and exhibit their talents. The Province of Gyeongsangbu-do has a state level agreement with Western Australia for mutual exchange and cooperation. Special mention is also extended to Nexfair Korea for our TCF global delegates support and assistance ”.

March 3, 2013
The Textile, Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc. (TCFWA) and TCF Global has coordinated 20 TCF industry representatives to attend, ‘Preview in Daegu’, the International Textile Fair being held in Korea in March 2013.
Representing Western Australia will be 5 designers, 2 textile artists, 2 fashion buyers and 2 additional representatives from the TCFWA. 8 attendees will be exhibiting at the show. The guests have all had their sponsorship approved by TCFWA, the Government of Western Australia (Korea Office), and The Province of Gyeongsangbuk-do ‘Preview in Daegu’. The Province of Gyeongsangbu-do has a state level agreement with Western Australia for mutual exchange and cooperation.

February 26, 2013
A TCF Green Energy ‘Ask An Expert’ Forum will be held at Sydney Exhibition Centre, during three major Australian fashion industry trade events, Fashion Exposed | Australian Shoe Fair | Bags & Accessories which attract thousands of fashion industry retailers and designers from across Australia. The FREE TCF Green ‘Ask An Expert’ Forum will be staged Mezzanine Level, Hall 4, March 11th, 12noon-2pm.
The forums will enable attendees to meet energy experts, gain tips on low or no-cost initiatives to reduce their business energy costs, discover opportunities in energy innovation and gain insights into sustainable green supply chains.
TCF Australia ‘ONLINE’ Energy Efficiency Training & Mentoring Project is able to offer an extensive range of specialist energy efficiency services to small businesses in the fashion, textile, clothing, footwear, leather (TCF) creative, and associated industries across Australia.

February 18, 2013
Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc. in conjunction with the Australian Federation of Business & Professional Women (Western Australian Division) has developed a specialist business improvement program to provide ONLINE support to women owner/managers in small businesses across Australia.
The BPW Business Incubator Project will provide ‘ONLINE’ training and mentoring to develop the business skills and business growth potential of women in new or existing homebased, micro small businesses. Workshops will be on offer in areas such as Business Planning, Financial Management, Marketing, International Trade Opportunities and eCommerce.

January 25, 2013
5 West Australian designers, 2 West Australian text ile artists, 2 fashion buyers and 2 representatives from the Textile, Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc. (TCFWA) are lucky enough to be attending, ‘Preview in Daegu’, the International Te xtile Fair being held in Korea in March 2013.
The guests have all had their sponsorship approved by TCFWA, the Government of Western Australia (Korea Office), The Province of Gyeongsan gbuk-do ‘Preview in Daegu’. The Province of Gyeongsangbu-do has a state level agreement with We stern Australia for mutual exchange and cooperation.
Carol Hanlon, CEO of TCFWA & TCF Global said, “It i s wonderful that we have been able to secure funding for so many West Australian fashion industr y professionals to attend this prestigious textile fair in Korea. For those W.A. firms that cannot be there, TCFWA will be able to source textiles, so we encourage designers to contact us”.

February 8, 2012
A ground breaking social enterprise called the BPW Business Incubator Project initiated by Belmont Business Enterprise Centre in Western Australia (Belmont BEC) and Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc. (TCF Global) and supported by The International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International), will launch internationally on the 2nd of March 2012.
The BPW Business Incubator Project will provide ‘ONLINE’ training and mentoring to develop the business skills and business growth potential of women in new or existing homebased, micro small businesses. Workshops will be on offer in areas such as Business Planning, Risk Management, Import/Export and eCommerce. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about global sourcing from women vendors.

February 7, 2012
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc (TCFWA), TCF Australia and the Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (Belmont BEC) are hosting a Buying Mission to Home Expo India, from the 15th to the 18th of April 2012 on behalf of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts.
Home Expo India is a one stop expo for all your sourcing needs for a variety of home products. A first of its kind, the expo will prove to be the sourcing destination for importers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers and speciality stores for a variety of Houseware products that includes home textiles, furnishings, home decoratives, curtains, draperies, furniture, rugs, wall hangings, kitchenware, bathroom and garden products.

February 7, 2012
eco peko produce cool organic kids clothes in Australia, for the little greenies in our lives. The range includes high thread count organic cotton daywear and the bamboodie, a beautifully light hoodie coverall for the beach.
Justine Davis, owner and designer of eco peko started selling her label wholesale and retail in June 2008 after great success at the Kalamunda markets in Western Australia. She decided that she wanted to work with sustainable fabrics and set out to reach a broader market. She sought a market of people who understood what was happening to the environment and wanted to do everything possible to help stop it.

January 30, 2012
During 2011, Ms Carol Hanlon, Member and past president of Belmont Business Professional Women (Belmont BPW), CEO of Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (Belmont BEC) and the Textile, Clothing, Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA & TCF GLOBAL) was invited to speak at two NGO events during the fifty-fifth session of the United Nations – Commission on the Status of Women in New York.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide. During these sessions many non-government organisations (NGO) also deliver presentations to the thousands of interested delegates that gather in New York during CSW.

January 25, 2012
To improve small business responsiveness to the effects of natural disasters, economic downturns, or any major variables that can impact on production, productivity and sustainability, it is necessary to have plans in place to be able to “manage” the impact.
Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (Belmont BEC) as part of the Small Business Advisory Services – National Disaster Assistance (SBAS - NDA) program will be hosting online webinars throughout 2012 focusing on Cost Control, Efficiency, Finance Options, Market Research, Customer Service Management and Communication.

January 24, 2012
The Belmont Business Enterprise Centre, Belmont Business & Professional Women, Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA and the City of Belmont, invite all to attend International Women’s Day celebrations in Belmont in March 2012.
The event will be held on Thursday March 8th 2012, and will be held at the City of Belmont Civic Centre (1 st Floor, Progress Way, 215 Wright St Cloverdale) between 12noon and 2pm.
Join us for an action packed celebration of International Women’s Day sharing stories, skills and talents with a huge range of interesting and inspiring speakers, artists, designers, fashion showcase village handicrafts and candle lighting ceremony celebrating women from around the globe.

January 24, 2012
The Small Business Advisory Services – National Disaster Assistance (SBAS - NDA) program was set up to provide support to small businesses directly or indirectly impacted by all the natural disasters that occurred in Australia from October 2010 to now. Some of these disasters included cyclones, floods and fire and they affected m ultiple States in Australia.
The Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (Belmont BEC) is one of twenty-five not-for-profit business advisory organisations that received Australian Government funding to assist small businesses affected by natural disasters. Belmont BEC is providing national assistance ‘virtually’ through 'My business incubator' which delivers support via one-on-one telephone assistance, email, mentoring through web meetings and group training webinars. All services are provided free or low cost, by specialist business advisors and with assistance from industry professionals.

January 12, 2012
Rube & Harri was established by Angela Smith in November 2009 and design s and produce s high quality, practical and beautiful sleepwear for children. Angela started the business after experiencing frustration trying to buy classically beautiful pyjamas for her young daughter. She quickly realised that some of her other friends felt the same, and started thinking about how wonderful it would be for her children to have pyjamas like she had as a child.
Angela named her business after her children, Ruby (now 6 ½) and Harriet (4 ½) , and shortened the names to come up with "Rube & Harri‟. She has since had one more son, Hugo (18mths), and has affectionately named a style this season after him.

May 5, 2011
Local business owner Steve Rose has kindly donated space at his Belmont based Flash Pan Mobile Wash to an entrepreneurial sewing project in Ormoc, the Philippines. The initiative was set up in 2007 by the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc. (TCFWA) along with the Business and Professional Women’s Clubs of Belmont & Western Australia (BPW) and the Matilda Bay Rotary Club. The initiative has recently been awarded the International Business and Professional Women’s Club 3rd prize globally in the ‘Make A Difference’ Awards. The Community Sewing Project assists residents of Ormoc and surrounding areas in the Philippines to establish their own micro sewing businesses to produce adults’ and children’s clothing, uniforms and home wares. The project helps facilitate the collection of various sewing materials, and ship them via container to more than 25 sewing centres across Ormoc. To date we have shipped 2 container loads of items such as sewing machines, fabric and haberdashery to the region.

April 12, 2011
The 2011 Belmont Small Business Awards will be officially launched on Wednesday 20th April 2011 at the City of Belmont Civic Centre from 6pm to 8pm and hosted by Belmont BEC Chair Tim Hammond. The Small Business awards are coordinated by the Belmont Business Enterprise Centre (Belmont BEC), a non-profit community organisation that provides business webinars, workshops, mentoring and guidance to persons wishing to start or grow their business across Australia. Belmont BEC CEO Carol Hanlon said “We are proudly hosting the 18th annual Belmont Small Business Awards, to yet again highlight the achievements of local and Western Australian small businesses. We encourage all small businesses to enter the awards and to strive to be recognised for the hard work that they do and the achievements that they make.”

April 12, 2011
The designedge Innovation Festival 2011 which is partner festival of the Australian Innovation Festival will launch on the 20th of April 2011 at the City of Belmont Civic Centre from 6pm to 8pm. This festival is one of the largest community national Innovation Festivals staged in Australia during the Australian Innovation Festival and the event coincides with the launch of the 2011 Belmont Small Business Awards. Seventy five workshops and events will be presented during the designedge Innovation Festival across Australia, and will bring together small business owners, inventors, innovators, designers and communicators in all industries. The festival will run from 18th of April to the 31st of May with national webinars, workshops, seminars and networking events.

March 8, 2011
Carol Hanlon, ‘Business Dreams Champion’ was named as one of the Western Australia's top 100 women for the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. The Inaugural WA Women’s Hall of Fame Ceremony was held on the 7th of March, 2011, and more than 1,000 Western Australian’s attended the event to find out the 100 top women in their respective fields. Carol Hanlon said, “This year, tens of millions of people around the world joined in International Women’s Day global centenary celebrations, and it’s so special that I had the opportunity to celebrate alongside 100 courageous and inspiring women in WA. I am deeply honoured by the recognition and award.”

February 28, 2011
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA) and TCF Australia have chosen eight emerging Australian fashion businesses to sponsor for the Fashion Exposed trade fair in Sydney next month. The non-profit community organisations will showcase emerging designers Maddy Petrulis Designs, Bagsalot, Buli-J Australia, Glamorous Life Swimwear, CVS Fashions, Ironboy, Ling Ling and TCF Global Village Sewing Projects at Fashion Exposed from March 6 to 8 at the Sydney Exhibition Centre.

February 25, 2011
Organisation of the 3rd International Conference of Fashion Incubators to be held in Perth in 2011, is well underway, and the event is offering sponsorship opportunities now. The 3rd International Conference of Fashion Incubators will be held at the Parmelia Hilton on 11-13 September, 2011, and many around the world have expressed their interest in attending and presenting. The conference is being hosted by the community organisations Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA), designedge Fashion Incubator, TCF Global and the Belmont BEC. These organisations provide those in the TCF industry access to business workshops, online mentoring, forums, industry cluster networks, and national and global linkages to other small businesses operating in the textile, clothing, footwear & leather industry across Australia & beyond.

June 1, 2010
TCFWA / Belmont BEC is coordinating an opportunity for Australian and International fashion designers, retailers and manufactures to join a buying mission to India International Garment Fair, New Delhi, July 12-14, 2010 showing Spring/Summer 2011. The buying mission will provide the opportunity for eligible firms to apply for sponsored airfare and two night’s accommodation sponsorship.

May 5, 2010
This year’s Designedge Innovation Festival includes workshops and forums being staged right across Australia and is expected to draw thousands of attendees passionate about innovation, eCommerce and development in the national fashion & TCF Industry to over 50 events. The Designedge Festival event, which is part of the Australian Innovation Festival will launch on the 29th of April at the Civic Centre, City of Belmont.

March 12, 2010
TCF Australia Online Training Mentoring Project will provide free access to eCommerce business workshops, online web mentoring, ‘Ask an Expert’ forums and helpline access to small businesses operating in the textile, clothing, footwear & leather industry across Australia. The project will help participants improve their skills in website development, web marketing strategies and online sales tools that will assist to increase brand exposure, increase sales & profitability.

November 25, 2009
Carol Hanlon, Founding Manager of the Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre Inc. (TCFWA), Designedge Fashion Incubator and Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc (Belmont BEC) is delighted to announce that the 3rd International Fashion Incubator Conference will be held in Perth, September 2011 during the staging of Perth Fashion Festival. The International Conference will offer new opportunities for fashion business educators and fashion trade events from around the globe to network, discuss best practice and expand global designer marketing and promotional opportunities.

October 28, 2009
Congratulations to all the winner and finalists at the 2009 Belmont Small Business Awards. The Business Awards, have been running since 1994 and provide a great opportunity for small and growing enterprises to be recognised for the hard work they do in putting their business ideas into practice.

June 22, 2009
TCF Ormoc is pleased to announce that a second freight of supplies is headed to the Philippines! This project, which collects sewing donations..

June 22, 2009
TCF Global & the Textile Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA), is calling for donations to continue the TCF Ormoc project.

June 21, 2009
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc (TCFWA) provide a valuable resource for the design industry. Since being established in 1998, the centre has been so successful, that it now receives requests from across Australia and overseas, from organisations and designers wishing to be involved.

May 24, 2009
The 'Managing your Firm through the Global Downturn’ Workshop series is an Australian Government funded program through Enterprise Connect and supported by TCFWA, TCF Australia, Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc (Belmont BEC) and designedge fashion incubator

May 19, 2009
Selling rubbish since 1998 is the catchcry of Scott Kilmartin from Haul, winner of B3000 City of Melbourne Business of the Year 2008 who is making flying visit to Perth to support two events being staged on May 20th by the Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA) and Belmont BEC – Small Business Centre

May 11, 2009
Belmont BEC – Small Business Centre confirms that the lecture by David Archibald on the science of climate scheduled for 11.00 am Monday 18th May at 7 Fairbrother Street, Belmont will go ahead

May 3, 2009
Carol Hanlon, Manager of the Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA (TCFWA) and Belmont BEC - Small Business Centre (Belmont BEC/SBC) has won the coveted City of Perth Convention Scholarship for 2008/2009 which is worth $10,000

April 16, 2009
The 2009 Designedge Innovation Festival launch on the 16th of April and run until the 29th of May 2009. The program will include 56 events including workshops, networking forums and displays both in Western Australia and New South Wales

April 5, 2009
The Designedge Fashion Incubator is the only virtual fashion incubator in Australia. It provides a virtual shop front for more than 40 small fashion businesses currently, and 10 feature Indigenous

March 29, 2009
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Resource Centre (TCF WA) located at the Belmont Business Enterprise Centre Inc. holds regular networking forums for those involved in the WA fashion, textile, clothing, footwear, and leather industry on the 3rd Wednesday of every month

 March 13, 2009
Carol has now been elected the National President of the Australasian Institute of Enterprise Facilitators (AIEF). Founded in 1997 as a result of the recommendations of the Industry Task Force on Leadership and Management Skills, the AIEF has a mission to advance the profession of enterprise facilitation.

 March 13, 2009
Given the current economic climate, clothes libraries are a great way for those finding themselves unemployed to borrow professional outfits for job interviews and the like.

January 2008
Designedge Fashion Incubator National Training and Mentoring Project assists new and emerging fashion, jewellery & accessory designers with mentoring, training, ecommerce and business skills.

July 23, 2007
The Designedge Fashion Incubator has launched its National Training & Mentoring Project which aims to assist emerging fashion and accessory designers to network and develop new business skills, thus improving their chances of running a successful small business.

 September 30, 2006
Over recent years the Perth Royal Show has become so much more than just the rides, showbags and fireworks. It has also become well known for its fashion and this year will be no exception. Over the course of the show which runs this year from the 30th of September to the 7th October there will be 36 fashion parades which will include a section of 20 outfits from designers utilising the designedge fashion incubator facility in Belmont.

 April 26, 2006
TCFWA is a well known name in the realm of the fashion industry. As always it continues it’s consistent and persistent marketing of the array of quality fashion and wearable art being produced in Western Australia. Part of its undeniably successful campaign has been the implementation of the designedge fashion incubator. And in a few weeks designedge is proud to be taking 15 West Australian labels to the ever au courant Mercedes Australian Fashion Week.

 April 6, 2006
With Australian fashion gaining more and more attention throughout the world there are plenty of eager candidates ready to give it a go. Only problem is when they discover what is involved in starting a business their eagerness turns to confusion and then a reluctance to follow their dream emerges.

 March 13, 2006
Small Business Centre Belmont (SBC), Belmont BEC, Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of Western Australia Inc. (TCFWA) and designedge fashion incubator (DFI) plan to celebrate the 2006 WA and Australian Innovation Festival by coordinating a vast array of exciting and practical events staged to assist innovators, inventors and fashion designers from across the state.