The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), on Wednesday announced the 2022 Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) Grant Fund recipients, continuing their support of the New York City fashion manufacturing sector.
The 2022 grants mark the seventh round of the program, which has invested nearly $4 million across New York City, with nearly $460,000 distributed this year. The 12 grant recipients are Button Down Factory, Create A Marker, Design Incubator, Dyenamix, Etier, Fugitive Patterns, Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS) Studio, In Style USA, Knit Illustrated, Knit Resort, LW Pearl and Tailored Industry.
Among them, 50 percent are first-time recipients of funds through the FMI Grant Fund, 75 percent are women-owned businesses and 50 percent are minority-owned. More than 120 jobs are impacted across the recipient’s businesses through the grants, the CFDA and NYCEDC noted.
“Providing direct funding to the fashion manufacturing sector has never been more critical as the industry recovers from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb said. “Through our grants alongside NYCEDC and our partners, we are excited to advance diverse businesses and innovative technology to ensure a strong future for manufacturing in NYC and continued local resources for American designers.”
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Services of the recipients include pattern and sample development, cutting and sewing, knitwear services, embellishment and embroidery, fabric dyeing, printing and washing, as well as marking and grading.
Criteria for grant recipient selection included qualifiers surrounding sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as community and workforce impact and overarching business viability. All recipients successfully completed financial audits and social compliance audits that covered areas such as health and safety, worker wages and welfare.
“We are proud to continue supporting fashion manufacturing in partnership with CFDA to ensure New York City remains a global fashion leader at the forefront of creativity, style, and innovation,” NYCEDC president and CEO Andrew Kimball said. “NYCEDC congratulates this year’s grant recipients and looks forward to their work ahead.”
The FMI Grant Fund is a tentpole program under the CFDA and NYCEDC’s Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, created in 2013 to support and preserve NYC fashion manufacturers. Supporters for FMI include Premier Underwriter Ralph Lauren, as well as other past partners such as DHL, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Coach Foundation and Walmart.
Outside of the FMI Grant Fund, the CFDA and NYCEDC have operated various programs including workforce-specific initiatives, relocation grants and the CFDA.com Production Directory, as well as FMI Grants via A Common Thread and the Workforce Relief Collective, both administered to provide critical financial and PPE support to businesses and workers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.