As part of its initiative to help restore technical skills to New York City and other global fashion hubs, including Hong Kong and London, Alvanon, global apparel business expert, is providing additional tools and business consulting resources to the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator (BF+DA).
BF+DA is a hub for ethical fashion and design that provides designers with the resources they need to transform their ideas into successful businesses. It offers a Certificate in ‘Design Entrepreneurship’ and houses a small-run factory equipped with the latest technology in garment production, 3D manufacturing and start to finish services ranging from pattern and grading to sampling.
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As part of the collaboration, Alvanon has provided AlvaForm fit mannequins and blocks to BF+DA’s manufacturing and training facilities, along with business expertise consisting of workshops and one-on-one tutoring sessions.
Debera Johnson, Executive Director, BF+DA averred, “Alvanon’s tools and intellectual resources support BF+DA’s intent to gives designers access to production sources so they can make just 20 or 100 of a design. Once they are ready, they can go to larger manufacturers. We want to provide that path for them. Our goal is to be an innovation space, from design to prototype and production, to viability to market. We are helping people accelerate to success.”
Adding to this, Janice Wang, CEO, Alvanon commented, “BF+DA’s success as an accelerator demonstrates that local fashion businesses do not necessarily have to compete with offshore businesses. It’s important to regenerate the idea that ‘made in New York,’ ‘made in Brooklyn’ and ‘made locally’ do not have to compete with ‘made overseas’.”
Alvanon launched its own Fashion Fit Movement in 2012 and has since then supplied grants and mentoring to a variety of fashion organizations and small businesses to revitalize technical skills in New York City for current and future generations. Collaborating with industry and educational institutions that support the same initiative, Alvanon also works with associations that support reshoring of apparel manufacturing jobs to US, such as Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
