Working in the fashion industry can be both exciting and challenging. One of the major problems for many new young fashion designers would be adding funding to the business. This time we would like to talk about the grants for fashion designers and other funding opportunities available for you! You will see several examples of the grant programs offered by various entities.
List of Government Grants for Fashion Designers
Here are some options to get government grants for fashion designers:
Vogue Designer Fashion Fund
This one is available for fashion designers living in the UK. It’s a prestigious program from Vogue England, which provide one of a kind opportunity, allowing the winner to attend a mentoring program that lasts for a year. The grant award money is also pretty big, so this can really be a game changer for the fashion designer winning the award. Needless to say, the competition is fierce so you have to prepare everything well!
GQ Designer Menswear Fund
This one offers very similar requirements with little differences as compared to the Vogue England designer fashion grant. The grant winners will be able to grasp £200,000, along with professional business services and mentoring. The basic difference would be this grant is provided for men’s wear designers.
International Talent Support
For young fashion designers looking for a way to get financial support for their talents, the ITS Award may be your answer. Unlike the Vogue England Fashion grant, this one is available for designers from all countries across the globe.
Last year, there are more than 1000 projects submitted by fashion designers from more than 80 countries. The ITS award is available for young, talented fashion designers, with four grant competition fields, including fashion, accessories, jewelry, and artwork.
CFDA Grant
First started by Eleanor Lambert, the CFDA program awards the designers who contribute to American fashion. Applicants are not limited to fashion. But also other areas of the industries that are related to women’s wear, men’s wear, and accessories, including creative vision, fashion icon, and fashion journalism.
Fashion designers will compete for the three available spots, which will get $300,000 (first position) or $100,000 (2nd and 3rd position). Besides the grant award money, the winners will also get business mentoring from professionals. Note that you need to be somewhat professional in the field, with more than 2 years of experience in the field, and have gained editorial coverage.
International Catwalk Competition
The International Catwalk Competition started off last year, and it was started by Graduate Fashion Week, Fashion Scout, and Vogue Italia Talents. This one is for students in universities and students across the world. Here’s how it works: the university chooses a collection from one chosen graduate and then submits it for the competition.
If the collection is chosen and won, the student will receive £1,000 and the university will receive £500. The collection will also be presented at the London Fashion Week. Note that since this is a new grant award, it may not be available annually, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask for details from their site (available in the reference section).
The Tory Burch Foundation
The Tory Burch Foundation, founded by designer and philanthropist Tory Burch, focuses on supporting women and mothers. Drawing from her own challenges in launching her business, Tory established the foundation to offer women the support she wished she had when starting out in 2004. The foundation’s Fellows Program aims to provide women with access to capital, entrepreneurial education, mentoring, and networking opportunities.
Winners of the Fellows Program receive a $5,000 grant, a four-day trip to the Tory Burch office, and the chance to pitch industry influencers. The program is available for women entrepreneurs running sustainable businesses for at least two years. Applicants should have a satisfactory credit rating and demonstrate a passion for growth.
The Girlboss Foundation
The Girlboss Foundation, founded by Nastygal founder Sophia Amoruso, offers biannual $15,000 grants to two female-identifying applicants each year. In addition to the $15,000 prize, recipients receive press opportunities and exposure through the Girlboss platform. Female entrepreneurs who own businesses in design, fashion, music, or the arts are encouraged to apply!
The Halstead Grant
The Halstead Grant is specifically for female jewelry designers. Each year, one recipient gets a $7,500 cash prize and $1,000 towards jewelry supplies, along with exposure within the jewelry industry. To qualify, applicants must be female silver jewelry designers who have prepared to elevate their business to the next level.
The Cartier Women’s Initiative Award
The Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is a prestigious opportunity for socially or environmentally conscious entrepreneurs. In this globally recognized competition, three finalists are chosen from each of the seven global regions.
Grants are available for to all 21 finalists, with seven winners receiving $100,000 each and the remaining finalists receiving $30,000 each. Additionally, finalists benefit from one-on-one business and financial mentoring, networking opportunities, and media coverage leading up to the award ceremony. The grants are open to entrepreneurs from any industry and any country. To be eligible, your business must be between 1-5 years old and generating revenue, although it doesn’t necessarily need to be profitable yet.
Levi Strauss & Co. Collaboratory and Grant Program
If you’re passionate about revolutionizing the fashion industry and have groundbreaking ideas, the Levi Strauss & Co. Collaboratory and Grant Program could be the perfect fit for you! This fellowship program brings together 10-12 recipients for a three-day workshop weekend at Levi’s Eureka Innovation Lab.
During this time, participants brainstorm solutions to a specific socio-environmental topic, with this year’s focus being on climate impact. After completing the lab, participants have the opportunity to apply for the $50,000 prize.
The Collaboratory seeks out leaders who are curious, driven, and value-based, and who are open to new ideas and collaboration. Leaders must have innovative, practical solutions in one of four areas: raw materials, product design, manufacturing, or consumer use.
Other notable grants for new fashion designersare from the NYC Fashion Production Fund, British’s NEWGEN, A.N.D.A.M. Awards, LVMH Prize, etc.
Grants are sometimes overlooked by designers, but they’re not exactly “free” money. The application process can be long and challenging, with requirements varying depending on the grant. Factors such as geography, the age of your business, revenue amount, and whether your business is for-profit or non-profit can all impact your eligibility for grants.
References:
- Council of Fashion Designers of America – http://cfda.com/
- British Fashion Council – http://www.britishfashioncouncil.com/
- Image: salaamgateway.com
- https://fashionangelwarrior.com/7-grants-for-fashion-startups-that-youve-probably-never-heard-of/
