The Council of Fashion Designers of America, in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corp., has named seven winners of the third round of the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative. The FMI is a public-private grant program designed to support local fashion manufacturing and promote growth in the city’s fashion sector.
The new recipients are:
* Bestec Concept Inc., a garment manufacturer with a military uniform background servicing large production runs for women’s and men’s apparel.
* Coyote Leather & Suede, a full-service facility specializing in services for leather, suede, shearling and exotic skins for both development and production.
* David Wolfson and Associates, a full-service sample and production house that combines innovative services with traditional techniques.
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* Four Seasons Manufacturing, an apparel facility with services ranging from development to both large and small production, specializing in chiffons, knits, silks and wovens.
* Ferrara Manufacturing, a women’s apparel tailoring factory.
* Le Studio Anthost, a textile embellishment atelier specializing in handmade couturier techniques for both fashion and interior design.
* Vogue Too, a studio specializing in pleating, tucking, thread and elastic stirring, while using new equipment for pleating, trimming and embroidery.
Over the past three years, FMI has granted a total of $2 million through 21 individual investments into New York City apparel and accessory production facilities and studios.
Each grant recipient will receive financial awards ranging from $10,000 to $300,000 for equipment, software, infrastructure upgrades and workforce training to increase business capacity, generate economic growth and create and preserve jobs within the city’s fashion industry.
The money earmarked for production studios will be invested in equipment and technology to better enhance or expand their services, from specialized leather and fur sewing machines to specialized screen printing, laser cutting and “no sew” heat-sealing technology.
The grant recipients were chosen by a selection committee that includes Andrew Rosen, president of Theory and founding partner of the program; Don Baum, executive vice president of global manufacturing, sourcing and supply chain for Ralph Lauren, and Victor Luis, chief executive officer of Coach and The Coach Foundation.
“For the third round of the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative we have reached an investment milestone of $2 million, which is significantly above our goal,” said Steven Kolb, president and ceo of the CFDA. “We could not have achieved this without the support of our partners.”
The FMI program, in partnership with NYCEDC, is supported by Theory, Ralph Lauren and The Coach Foundation, along with Rue La La, Rag & Bone, Barneys New York, ENK Shows, Precision Custom Coatings, Google, CIT, Bloomingdale’s, Lisa Perry, Project Gravitas and Made in Fashion NYC.