WA fashion designers are struggling because of high production costs

  She produced her fashion label in the suburbs of Perth since 2008, but the clothing line is now waiting indefinitely.

"It's just too expensive, unfortunately," she said.

"You can not just with the people who receive it are manufactured in Asia, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India to compete shares."

Ms. Lissiman is now focused on the implementation of the Claremont store, but she said she will look at the sea, to the resumption of production.

"Once the dust settles a bit and I can work out what to do next, and online, I'm going to start manufacturing in China."

The local industry is not exact numbers, but it is estimated that nearly half of the 250 designers from Western Australia have moved production overseas.

Aleksanda Gajda Perth Fashion Festival says overseas manufacturing has become increasingly popular for WA designers because of rising costs and competition from other retailers, including department stores.

"We have definitely noticed perhaps in the last two or three years there has been an increasing tendency for the designer began with the production on the sea, which brings with it its own challenges and risks," she said.

These challenges include foreign companies may require minimum order quantity in the thousands.

Designers also say that it would be difficult to ensure the quality of the clothes without flying regularly to Asia, which would be expensive to control.

Perth based designer Garth Cook as mobile offshore cost reductions, but to remain viable.

"I try, the best way that we can do to find," he said.

"I think it means that we can save money.

"If it cuts us the collection and have a product that we do all the buttons themselves are all hooks and eyes and swing tags, all these things that we do in the studio."

Mr. Cook is determined to keep his local label.

"The reason I started my business here in Perth because I wanted was," he said.

"I wanted to work with the local people, I wanted to be able to go to the manufacturer and have taken a look at the clothes."

The group behind the Perth Fashion Festival has recognized the challenges facing the industry WA mode.

It was restructured to focus more on supporting and defending the local labels, on the annual festival.

Ms. Gajda For designers who can not will not adjust to tougher financial conditions forced to close.

"If they can not cope with the rising costs [], or they can not find the right manufacturer or locally, that is a price that is viable for them, or abroad, and unfortunately the reality is that they need to be to lie. "

But she is optimistic local designers will draw in difficult conditions.

"I'm going to be optimistic and say that we keep a strong and growing industry here in WA, because it is so important," Ms. Gajda said.

"He has a Onflow on many areas of industry and business here if we can keep locally is essential."