NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Informa Markets Fashion, in partnership with NuORDER, announced today the launch of Informa Markets Fashion for Change (IMFC) Incubator Program, a new initiative aimed at elevating and better supporting new design talent within the Black fashion community. The launch of this program is the first step that Informa Markets Fashion is taking to reduce barrier-to-entry and further equal opportunity within the fashion industry.
As part of IMFC’s ongoing program, 10 up-and-coming brands will receive a complimentary digital showroom page and access to digital wholesale market tools via the NuORDER platform, editorial features and marketing promotion, as well as individualized mentor and leadership guidance, as overseen by IMFC’s Advisory Board, a team whose mission is geared towards allyship, inclusion, and fostering equality within the fashion community. As brands are selected by the IMFC committee members, which consists of 11 executives from across Informa Markets Fashion with backgrounds in branding, marketing, social media, finance, and sales, they will have two full seasons of complimentary access to the digital event– starting with the current season and then building off this in 2021 at Informa Markets Fashion’s fall/winter digital event.
“With the Black Lives Matter movement in early June, and the resulting dialogue and introspection, we too, like many other businesses, realized we needed to do more and do better. Our aim is to better utilize our resources to amplify the creative work of emerging Black talent, while also giving these start-up brands access to more tools and opportunities, that are often inaccessible, especially during the critical early stages of business growth,” says President of Informa Markets Fashion, Nancy Walsh.
In addition to receiving complimentary virtual showroom space at the digital event, marketing promotion and editorial features, the Informa Markets Fashion for Change program also will offer brands the opportunity to be mentored by a leading fashion executive, as sourced from a pool of leadership from across the industry, to include IMFC’s Advisory Board members – a board comprised of veteran fashion executives from the IMFC committee, NuORDER executive leadership, and industry executives such as Felita Harris, co-founder and CEO of ENFORM. Directly paired with an executive for one-on-one support, brands will receive consultative guidance tailored specifically to their business’s needs throughout the duration of the digital event.
With the program’s selection process already underway, nine of the 10 brands have already been chosen and will be featured in a category-related marketplace when the event launches next week:
- London Grant at MAGIC DIGITAL is a collection of natural provisions for home and body, handcrafted in Atlanta by Founder Tiffany Staten.
- RE ONA at MAGIC DIGITAL is a Canadian designed, ethically manufactured Bangladesh women’s ready-to-wear apparel brand by Founders Christina and Philiscia Abayomi.
- SELFISH swimwear at COTERIE DIGITAL is a collection of high-quality, sustainable swimwear based in Canada, led by Designer Naomie Caron.
- HAMID HOLLOMAN at PROJECT DIGITAL is custom made men’s apparel designed by Philadelphia born Designer Hamid Holloman.
- Leimert Park Threads at PROJECT DIGITAL is a clothing brand inspired by the urban environment of South LA by Designer Ashley Sky Walker.
- ENZI at MICAM Americas DIGITAL is a collection of made-in-Ethiopia footwear by Co-Founder and Designer Jawad Braye.
- Kahume at MICAM Americas DIGITAL is a luxury line of footwear designed to match the skin tones of ALL women by Founder and Brand Director Jamela Acheampong.
- CONFIDENCE BY GaBBY Goodwin at CHILDREN’S CLUB DIGITAL is a collection of hair accessories from 11-year-old entrepreneur Gabrielle “GaBBY” Goodwin.
- Pridd New York at CHILDREN’S CLUB DIGITAL is a made-in-NYC, sustainable children’s apparel brand by Founder Sabrina Pridd.
“These selected designers have incredible talent, show major potential, and have a refreshing point-of-view,” says Lizette Chin, President of PROJECT and IMFC Advisory Board member. “We are supporting the individuals in this program based on their brand merit, business potential AND because they are a part of an underrepresented community that deserves better recognition in our industry. We need to give fashion’s Black designers with promising talent greater opportunities and more tools to elevate their brands – which is exactly what this program will do.”
ABOUT INFORMA MARKETS:
Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 450 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com
ABOUT NUORDER (@nuorder):
NuORDER is the leading wholesale e-commerce platform. Brands use NuORDER to deliver a seamless, more collaborative wholesale process, where buyers can browse products, plan assortments and make smarter buys in real-time. The NuORDER platform was engineered with flexibility and scale in mind processing over $35B in GMV. It empowers businesses of all sizes with enterprise-level technology.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California with offices globally; NuORDER connects more than 3,000 brands and 500,000 retailers, helping them grow and win together. For more information, please visit https://www.nuorder.com/
MEDIA CONTACT:
Courtney Hazirjian
PR and Communications, Informa Markets Fashion
courtney.hazirjian@informa.com