By Smita Krishnaswamy

THE Local Enterprise and Association Development (Lead) programme's grant has helped the Textile and Fashion Federation (Taff) offer better training programmes to help members stay competitive in a cut-throat industry.

As the association dedicated to educating and supporting the local textile and fashion industry, Taff is using the grant to offer three new programmes so firms can keep abreast of trends, improve production processes and speed up design.

Chairman Patrick Lee said one of the most important factors when designing a garment is its fit, so some of its training initiatives centre on this vital component.

It offers free help to members learning to use a design software called V-Speech.

In the past, when companies developed a garment, they would sew it and then fly in a model from the target market. 'It was time-consuming and costly,' Mr Lee said.

The V-Speech software lets designers create virtual mannequins according to the sizing of the target market. This allows designers to perfect the garment virtually first and even send a sample to the customer for approval.

'It helps cope with the fast-changing market,' he said. More than 200 companies have benefited from the training, including Mr Lee's own firm Sing Lun Holdings.

Taff also offers lean-manufacturing workshops at a subsidised cost to help companies enhance their processes. The workshops - 16 companies have taken part so far - focus on working closely with suppliers to cut waste.

Taff has also invited more than 200 fashion designers to discuss upcoming trends with its members.

Mr Lee believes that local apparel companies have become more effective through the programmes offered with the Lead grant.

'We cannot maintain an apparel hub in Singapore without a group of strong players in the industry,' he said. 'It has created a more vibrant group of players. There's no doubt about it.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.