The latest fashions aren’t the only things debuting at this year’s Saint Louis Fashion Week, Oct. 8 through 18. The event marks the launch of Saint Louis Fashion Fund, an organization that aims to develop and grow the local fashion community. Beyond supporting Saint Louis Fashion Week, the group seeks to fund educational programming and outreach to support fledgling St. Louis designers.
The new organization sponsors the Saint Louis Fashion Fund Emerging Designer Competition, which evaluates young designers nationwide. The competition, funded by Brown Shoe Company, takes place Oct. 15 at Union Station. Six designers, chosen by a panel of editors, buyers and marketing professionals, will present their Spring 2015 collections, with one designer taking home the $15,000 prize.
Saint Louis Fashion Fund also hosts an inaugural gala Oct. 17 at Union Station to raise funds for creating the St. Louis Fashion Incubator, located in the former garment district and scheduled to open in late 2016. The mission? To help return the city’s fashion industry to its former glory. “We had a bustling garment district through the end of World War II, and buyers would come from all over,” says Fashion Fund board chair Susan Sherman. “We want to make St. Louis a fashion center again.”
The incubator will offer designers resources to launch or grow their careers. “The incubator will house fashion designers who receive mentorship and shared resources, including patternmaking, sewing and manufacturing capabilities,” Sherman says. “It’s something that’s working well in other cities and has brought revitalization and entrepreneurship.” For more information, visit stlouisfashionfund.org.
Pictured: Remi Canarie, from designers Lisa Panza and Liz Patelski, Fall 2014
