BUDDING fashion designers facing difficulties carving out a niche on their own can now rely on a new initiative designed to get them started.
The Fashion Incubator Project is a collaboration between Parco@Millenia, Spring Singapore and Textile and Fashion Federation Singapore (TaFf) centred on grooming home-grown design talent.
The 18-month programme announced last month will offer designers business support to help them develop their labels. Ten designers have been identified so far. The programme begins in September.
The Fashion Incubator - a 6,000 sq ft space on level two of the three-storey Parco@Millenia, which opens next March, will showcase 25 emerging designers every year.
After six months of preparation, participants will get a one-year lease at Parco@Millenia with low rental rates.
They will also get free fixtures, fittings and furniture, common fitting rooms, visual merchandising space, cashier services, advertising promotions, training workshops and study trips to Japan.
The Fashion Incubator Project is in response to the lack of a programme to support aspiring local designers.
Mr Shuichi Hidaka, managing director of Parco Singapore, said that TaFf and Parco have identified the need to build up local designers in Singapore.
'There is a lack of young designers establishing their own retail outlets,' he said.
The Japanese firm hopes that the programme will develop what Mr Hidaka terms 'designpreneurs' - designers who are as adept at business as they are at aesthetics.
Designers with or without their own established labels, and with no stand-alone stores can apply for the programme. Those selected by a committee will undergo a mentorship, business support and training programme.
Participants will be paired with a principal mentor and business mentor who will advise on product design and business development.
More than 20 mentors, including experienced designers and industry insiders, have already signed on, said TaFf deputy director Joanna Fong.
Aspiring designers see the project as an incentive for them to take their own labels forward.
'The most important aspect of this project is that we will have experienced insiders guide us through the processes...It is assurance to us designers with little experience,' said Ms Kanwal Jit Kaur, a designer selected for the programme.
The local fashion industry is expected to receive a boost from the influx of fresh blood as well.
'For Singapore to build a strong base of designers and brands that can achieve commercial success and international acclaim, we need to give our budding designers a leg-up today,' said Mrs Kee Ai Nah, director of lifestyle at Spring Singapore.
'The initiative will be pivotal in addressing the needs of budding designers and in enhancing the overall variety and vibrancy of the local fashion retail scene.'
