CFDA Fashion Incubator Program announced

02 Feb '10

4 min read

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) are pleased to announce that the first 12 designers have been chosen for tenancy in the { CFDA FASHION INCUBATOR } and will begin moving into the building in mid-March 2010. To be eligible for consideration, designers were required to submit a detailed business plan, have substantive editorial coverage and orders from top retailers, be in business for a minimum of one and one-half years, and have paid and/or volunteer professional staff.

The inaugural 12 participating designers are:

ALICE RITTER, Alice Ritter
BIBHU MOHAPATRA, Bibhu Mohapatra
GEMMA REDUX, Rachel Dooley
GREY ANT, Grant Krajecki
HOUSE OF WARIS, Waris Ahluwalia
JOLIBE, Joel Diaz
LEWIS, Alison Lewis
PRABAL GURUNG, Prabal Gurung
PUBLIC SCHOOL, Dao-Yi Chow & Maxwell Osborne
RUBY KOBO, Yuvi Alpert & Danna Kobo
SOPHIE THEALLET, Sophie Theallet
SUBVERSIVE JEWELRY, Justin Giunta

The { CFDA FASHION INCUBATOR }, located at 209 West 38th Street in New York City's Garment Center, will accommodate 12 designers, who will each have a separate design studio (ranging from 800-1000 sq ft). Two-year leases will be offered to the designers at the below-market rate of $1,500-2,000 a month in rent. On hand to assist the designers on a day-to-day basis will be Program Director Nancy Caton. NYCEDC will provide the CFDA with a three-year, $200,000 grant to help establish the { CFDA FASHION INCUBATOR }.

The CFDA launched the { CFDA FASHION INCUBATOR } with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on October 19, 2009, in partnership with NYCEDC and Newmark Holdings. The {CFI} is designed to support the next generation of fashion designers in New York City. It is the fourth City-sponsored business incubator launched since February 2009, when Mayor Bloomberg announced a suite of initiatives to support entrepreneurship and encourage start-up companies to locate in New York City. The {CFI} will provide a creative professional environment to foster promising talent in the field of fashion, help emerging fashion designers grow and sustain their businesses in New York City by offering low-cost design studio space to qualified designers, and will provide business mentoring, educational seminars and networking opportunities to selected designers so that they may reach their full potential and become an integral part of the New York fashion community.

“The { CFDA FASHION INCUBATOR } is a natural extension of what our organization already does to support emerging design talent,” said CFDA Associate Executive Director, Lisa Smilor. “We are thrilled to welcome this illustrious group of designers into the program, and are most appreciative for the support and involvement of our esteemed industry colleagues.”

“This diverse group of designers is a reflection of the depth of fashion talent New York City is known for, and will continue to be recognized for into the future,” said NYCEDC President Seth W. Pinsky. “It is because of designers like these, and the retailers, wholesalers, and numerous fashion-related businesses that choose to locate here, that New York City remains the world's fashion capital.”

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