Tiger Tales

A Room of One Sewn

Cindee Smith’s talent incubator has given a generation of up-and-coming designers a place where they can fashion the future, says VANESSA MULQUINEY

Photography by DAVID WHITE

The fashion industry is about two per cent glamorous,” says Cindee Smith, the quirky 52-year-old fashion gladiator behind the newly reopened Fashion Incubator Melbourne Central (FIMC). One look at the maze of cardboard boxes, coat hangers and other unglam fashion apparatus in its headquarters is enough to convince anyone of the truth of that statement.

To be fair, being that it’s moving week, the timing of this visit is not exactly ideal for Cindee, done up on this day in pink stockings and green shoes. And although this is the fifth time that FIMC has changed addresses, this time, it’s definitely a move up. The previous volunteer-run space in Melbourne Central mall was well known in certain circles, but being tucked down the end of a dark corridor on the second floor made it nearly impossible for anyone to stumble across it by chance. The new space (also on level two) proudly overlooks the centre’s famed clock tower and already has plenty of traffic-stopping men’s and women’s garments hanging in the windows.

“It has been a really amazing journey so far,” Cindee says. “Some days I think, ‘why am I doing this?’ and then I’ll come across a beautiful leather bag by an undiscovered designer and think: ‘This is why’.” As the head of Melbourne’s original fashion incubator – a shared space for creative entrepreneurs to work, exhibit and develop their business skills – Cindee is perhaps the only CEO in Australia without a salary. Still, she says, “I love helping designers realise their dreams... it’s my dream job!”

Long connected to the industry, in 2001 Cindee stumbled across an opening at an earlier incubator. She quickly sweet-talked her husband, Martin, into backing her plan to leave a well-paying fashion recruiter job to volunteer for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the incubator was struggling and eventually closed but, instead of returning to her previous post, Cindee began issuing appeals to anyone who could help her start a new venture. “I did some research into incubators, and I thought I could get someone to just give me an old building,” she recalls, laughing at the thought. “I tried and tried but it didn’t happen.”

Eventually, Cindee’s efforts were rewarded in the form of a rent-subsidised commercial space at the bustling Melbourne Central, right in the heart of town. “Without Mark Pheely, the development manager at GPT (the centre’s management company), we wouldn’t be here,” says Cindee. “We worked really hard – we don’t have a budget or volunteers help out – but GPT wanted something different in the centre. Both GPT and the City of Melbourne have been amazing in their support.”

So why give commercial space to what began as a non-profit organisation? Blessed with genuine warmth, charm and an infectious laugh, Cindee is hard to turn down. Mark says the decision was a no-brainer. “GPT seeks commercial returns for its shareholders, and the time came when we were genuinely looking to give something back to the industry,” he says. “In return, FIMC is unique to the retail experience at Melbourne Central and something you wouldn’t normally expect to find in a shopping centre.”

If the numbers are anything to go by, shoppers agree. About 35 million customers pass through Melbourne Central annually and, according to Tourism Victoria, more than a million international visitors fly to Melbourne each year just to shop. And that’s not even counting all those who visit from other Australian states, eager to find that ever-so-now-and-different handcrafted hat, dress or shirt. Even Melbourne’s legendary weather is forgiven and, according to Cindee, is what accounts for Melburnians’ unparalleled fashion sense.

“Melbourne has four seasons, which is why we’re so good at fashion. We have the confidence to be different – yesterday you might have worn a summer dress and today you’re wearing a coat,” she says. “We are European in our sense of style and we seek out different designers. The laneways, the coffee, the whole vibe of the city lends itself to being more open and creative in what we wear.”

In a city populated by goths, skaters, the prim and proper and everyone in between, it’s clear that there are no age limits when it comes to testing the outer limits of fashion. This certainly holds true at FIMC. “Our typical customer is not definable.” Cindee says. “Sometimes it could be a 12-year-old schoolgirl who has saved her pocket money to buy a fun accessory, or a stylish 70-year-old woman who wants something different and made to measure.”

While in its earlier incarnations, the incubator earned no profits, the new FIMC operates as a business and reaches out to the wider community through charity groups, fashion schools, lunchtime design workshops and exhibitions. And good business sense is just as important as creativity.

“There is a stronger emphasis on the designers proving themselves to us and putting in the hard work,” she says. To Cindee, an FIMC designer needs to do more than just sketch pretty pictures and pick out beautiful fabrics. If a designer wants to show a collection in the shop, they have to meet strict deadlines and are asked to explain to a board consisting of Cindee and her FIMC partner, designer Carol McCloud, among other experts, why it should be included. Likewise, if there is a piece that is not selling well, the designer needs to address it and take steps to adapt their design to better suit the customer.

The revamped incubator, based on a concept originating in Toronto, Canada, includes retail space dedicated to showcasing the collections of three designers at a time as well as the work of others, from students and recent graduates to established names. In keeping with the definition of incubator, the space also includes an exhibition and event area, designer storage space and workroom. There is also a “wet room” for screen-printing and fabric dying where resident designers – around 10 at any time – can create, cut, dye and sew. In addition, there are two retail spaces where FIMC “graduates” can sell their creations and put their business skills to the test for 12 months.

Helping people outside the fashion industry is also important to Cindee: “We have a strong community focus and we want the designers to prove that they are committed to giving back.” Cindee has been working actively with the charity organisation MacKillop for the past several years and has given many troubled kids and teenagers in care valuable work experience and a sense of purpose.

“I really want the community aspect to become bigger,” she adds. “I wish we were able to keep track of all the designers we’ve helped. We have had a hand in developing hundreds of businesses, which is the whole philosophy behind an incubator.”

Cindee says that becoming a successful designer with a label and store only happens to a lucky few. But with someone like her working tirelessly to make designers’ dreams come true, it’s likely just a matter of time before the FIMC produces the next Alannah Hill or Alex Perry.

WATCH & WEAR: FIMC’S RISING STARS

Indonesian leather shoe designer and maker, Phong Chi Lai became involved with FIMC after winning a design award. The 31-year-old says that the fashion incubator has exceeded his expectations in its support for the industry. “In terms of how the business side of fashion works for an emerging designer and the logistics of self-promotion, the FIMC is invaluable,” he says.

Austrian-born Pamela McGraw says FIMC gave her the support to create her successful label, Ella. “To be around other designers and work next to them is truly inspiring,” she says. McGraw’s other passion – dance – strongly influences her designs, which include flattering asymmetrical outfits made from natural fabrics.

Brisbane-based Sam Sarva became involved with FIMC in 2007, when he was offered a 12-month mentorship after winning The Redlands Fashion Entrepreneur Award. His label SARVA produces bridal and evening wear, and his new collection pays homage to the 80s power suit with a twist: shoulder pads on the outside.

Ryan Whelan is perhaps the most recognised FIMC designer, having competed on season two of Project Runway Australia. The 27-year-old is a pro when it comes to old-school tailoring but manages to add his quirky signature to every madeto-measure piece. “FIMC is an amazing place where the pressure is off designers who are starting out. You can try things out, which is rare,” he says.