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Check out some our favorite resources the City has to offer for a career in Fashion.

Education Fashion and Business Education
  • FIT Design Entrepreneurs: A free, intensive “mini-MBA” program for New York City–based designers who have launched their own labels.
  • FastTrac: A series of free entrepreneurship courses for aspiring and established entrepreneurs throughout New York City.
  • NYC Online Business Education: Online business courses to guide NYC entrepreneurs through each step to start, operate, and grow a business.
  • Business Outreach Centers: Individualized, comprehensive guidance in obtaining financial, marketing, management, technology, and legal services.
  • 10,000 Small BusinessesGoldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses provides greater access to education, capital, and business support services.
  • SCORE at SIBLIn-depth business counseling for business owners and small businesses, providing assistance with starting a business, writing a business plan, and helping successful firms in planning for expansion at the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry, and Business Library (SIBL) branch.
  • NYC Resource Guide for Immigrant EntrepreneursThis guide offers step-by-step advice for immigrant entrepreneurs planning, launching, or growing a small business.
  • PowerUP! (Brooklyn)Turn your business idea into a reality with help from the library and you may win $20,000 in start-up capital. Entrepreneurs throughout Brooklyn are eligible to participate.
  • StartUP! Business Plan Competition (Queens)The competition gives emerging entrepreneurs in Queens the opportunity to strengthen their business knowledge, learn about business trends, gain insights about starting and growing a business, and have a chance to win grants worth up to $10,000 in funding and services.
  • New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition (Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island)Annual New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition for New York–based startup entrepreneurs. Entrants can win $15,000 to start their business, as well as gain practical insights about starting and growing a business.
  • Grow with Google New York City Learning CenterThe center offers free digital skills training to all New Yorkers, offering workshops, one-to-one coaching sessions, and community events.
Fashion Universities/Programs Mentorship
  • WE Connect MentorsSuccessful women entrepreneurs share their expertise and answer your business questions during weekly in-person sessions.
  • Elaine Gold Launch PadSupports early-emerging and young design talent and aspirational entrepreneurs, and encourages creativity within technology, sustainability, and innovation through six months of mentorship and milestone-based awards.
  • Tory Burch Foundation Fellows ProgramDesigned for women entrepreneurs, the program provides education, connections, and community support to grow your business.
Manufacturing Grants Facilities
  • Futureworks MakerspaceAffordable access to a state-of-the-art prototyping facility, including a sewing area and jewelry corner.
  • Futureworks ShopsA network of 11 fabrication studios across the city that provide affordable access to various types of equipment and coworking space.
Manufacturing / Supplier Directories Funding Funding Opportunities
  • WE Fund CrowdAny woman in New York can apply for a zero-interest loan of up to $10,000 on Kiva’s crowdfunding platform, and the City will fund the first 10 percent of the money she needs—lending with no fees, no interest, and no minimum credit score.
  • WE Fund GrowthSupports women who need capital to expand their businesses! The City is partnering with local lending institutions to increase the chance of getting financing.
  • Venture Capital Investors in NYCNYC’s extensive list of investors in New York City with investment focuses that include fashion, lifestyle, and retailing and distribution, among others.
  • CFDA/Vogue Fashion FundAwards help emerging American design talent further develop their business in addition to receiving mentorship from an esteemed group of industry professionals.
  • Global NY Grant FundOpen to New York State companies and nonprofit organizations seeking to create or expand direct exports.
  • Global NY Loan FundLoans of up to $500,000 are available for companies to purchase equipment and inventory needed to deliver on export-related contracts and provide working capital to support foreign accounts receivable.
  • State Trade Expansion ProgramGrants for small and medium businesses to increase the number of businesses entering the export market, and to increase the value of exports for businesses that currently export.
Scholarships
  • CFDA Scholarship ProgramProvides two scholarships of $25,000 to exemplary student talent across diverse design specializations.
  • Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship AwardThe award challenges students to look beyond conventional design and industry approaches in order to advance the art form of fashion by investigating experimentation of process, material, and form.
  • The Liz Claiborne Design Scholarship AwardThis $25,000 design award invites undergraduate fashion students to create a signature fashion collection.
  • Kenneth Cole Footwear Innovation AwardA one-year design fellowship opportunity supported by an annual stipend of $50,000, offered to fashion graduates combining design with social consciousness.
  • Eileen Fisher Social Innovator AwardProvides immersive access to specialized knowledge, skills, resources, and mentorship to three post-graduates through year-long rotational placements at Eileen Fisher. Each Innovator receives a stipend of $50,000.
Retail & Marketing Sustainability
  • ReFashion Week NYCFashion shows, shopping events, clothing swaps, and styling competitions that spark conversations about how residents, nonprofits, and businesses can create solutions to reduce textile waste.
  • refashionNYCFree and convenient clothing donation service for apartment, office, and commercial buildings.
  • NYC Textile MapFind the nearest drop-off bin, takeback program, textile recycling location, and more.
  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy Learning HubExplore the circular economy business model and see real-world examples. Access information on how to make your company more circular and what circular design really means.
  • CFDA Guide to Sustainable StrategiesProvides a “how to” for sustainable fashion with a focus on taking the complex idea of sustainability and simplifying it into clear, digestible resources and actions.
  • Sustainable Strategies ToolkitAims to visualize the mapping and framing of sustainability priorities. It is intended to facilitate in diagnostics and provide users with step-by-step guidance in the creation of strategic blueprints.
Technology
  • The New York Fashion Tech LabDelivers a platform for collaboration between major fashion retailers and the startup community. The lab supports women-led companies that have developed innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology.
  • XRC labsBrings together entrepreneurs, investors, brands, and retailers to foster rapid innovation and unlock new opportunities in retail.

 

Disclaimer: The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not for reliance. New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) and The City of New York (the “City”) do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information posted on this website or made available through links from this website. NYCEDC and the City assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. NYCEDC and the City do not endorse or otherwise approve of the entities listed on this website. The content of this website may change at any time without notice.

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