Imagine for a moment that you are an up-and-coming fashion
designer, and someone has given you the chance not only to have
your designs featured in a retail store, but also to run part of
the store. This is the opportunity four young New York City
designers found in Forward, a retail incubator for start-up fashion
designers.
Funded by the Lower East Side Business Improvement District
(BID), Forward was created as a place where young entrepreneurs
could combine their passion for fashion and clothing with the
business side of retail. Forward's first four participants,
chosen from among 60 applicants, each paid $4,200 to be part of the
six-month program, which organizers dubbed "The Real World of
Fashion."
Angela Kettler had already been designing a line of clothing
from her home when she learned about Forward. And while she had a
good feel for fashion and design, learning about the business side
presented a challenge. "Doing business [at Forward] gave me
better [knowledge] of financials and pricing," she says.
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Getting in sync with the other three participants presented some
logistical challenges, according to Kettler, 24. Coordinating four
different schedules and ensuring everyone did their part in keeping
the store looking good and running smoothly were just a few of the
hurdles. After all, there weren't any employees to help with
the workload. But, says Kettler, "There's a lot that
working with [the others] had to offer-their skills, contacts and
business information."
That's a sentiment echoed by Forward participant Franklin
Rowe, founder of Franklin Rowe International. "It's great
to work in an artistic environment where everybody is doing the
same thing but has different interpretations," he says.
"You have to leave [your] egos at the door and realize
we're all after the same thing."
Rowe, who had a little more experience in the fashion industry,
heard about Forward through a friend at BID. He'd always wanted
to own a retail establishment-but up until then, he'd largely
been designing custom pieces for clients.
Sharing a storefront with other hip designers brought in all
sorts of clientele-including famous faces like actor Robert DeNiro
and Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Fields. The
Forward program itself also garnered a lot of publicity for the
store, including an article in The New York Times that
generated serious foot traffic and calls from customers
worldwide.
From that, says Rowe, "I learned what people actually want
and spend money on-what women buy and what the average consumer
wants in terms of price, fit and fabrics." Rowe plans to use
this newfound knowledge as he continues to build his
business.
The store was originally slated to open at the end of 2001, but
Forward delayed its launch until January 2002 due to the terrorist
attacks and troubled economic times. Still, the participants have
learned a lot since then-and they all point to a noticeable
increase in sales since opening the store. Jennifer Dwin,
26-year-old founder of Dwin Design Group Inc., is a graduate of the
Pratt Institute of Art & Design in New York City (as is
Kettler). In her last days at Pratt, someone at her senior show
mentioned Forward. Of launching her company after getting out of
school, Dwin says, "It was perfect timing."
And the fact that Forward hooked her and the other participants
up with some entrepreneurship courses has certainly helped.
"Working in the store has been a huge learning process,"
she explains. "Coming right out of school, I really had no
clue in the beginning."
Cooperating with other designers benefited her as
well-especially her collaboration with Siri Wilson, who had already
designed the Sirius line of clothing before joining the Forward
program. The two created a line of home accents to sell at the
store. Wilson, 29, didn't have a fashion design background when
she started her business; she had gone to film school and then
worked as a graphic designer. "I was taking [fashion] classes
at night and I started thinking 'I could do this as a real
business.'" In addition, Wilson wholesales to other
stores.
Luckily for the participants, Forward provides various avenues
that let them continue to participate. At press time, Rowe planned
to stay for another six months to grow his business, while Kettler
had agreed to rent showroom space from the program. Forward also
keeps an alumni rack in the store where former participants can
sell their designs. "It's not like you're here for six
months, then it's 'OK, bye!'" says Kettler.
"[BID] is working with us to figure out our next
steps."
BID is currently seeking a new group of designers to take part
in the program. Think you have what it takes? Log on to
www.lowereastsideny.com for more information.
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