New York Governor Kathy Hochul celebrated the end of fashion week by saying the state will release the names of the companies who will receive the first round of funding from the New York State Fashion Innovation Center on Sunday. The Fashion Innovation Center seeks to expand the use of renewable animal, plant and bio-manufactured fibers in the fashion industry, and build a farm-to-fashion ecosystem throughout the state.
“Nothing is more synonymous with New York than fashion, and this industry generates more than $25 billion a year in wages for hardworking New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “With these grants though the Fashion Innovation Center, we are working together to advance innovative solutions and build a more sustainable industry.”
The center will provide grants of up to $10,000 in four areas: agricultural production and processing; new materials and manufacturing; manufacturing and textile technology innovation, improvement and expansion, and fashion use of sustainable materials.
In addition to the funding, grant awardees will receive mentoring from experts in their industries and have access to equipment, facilities and other resources to advance their projects.
In 2022, Hochul announced $10 million in state funding for the Fashion Innovation Center to promote New York State-produced smart and sustainable textiles. The center also includes a Sustainable Fashion Innovation Center Accelerator, which works to create green jobs, promote state-sourced textiles and support sustainable fashion.
Last year, she unveiled a consortium of six universities, businesses, farmers, fashion industry leaders, and nonprofit organizations, led by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, that had been selected to manage the center. In addition to RPI, the group includes the Fashion Institute of Technology, Hudson Valley Textile Project, Field to Fiber, SUNY Morrisville and Made X Hudson.
In addition to the $25 billion in wages, New York’s fashion industry employs 315,000 people, with 204,000 based in New York City. New York Fashion Week generates nearly $900 million in economic impact, and New York City is home to more headquarters of fashion designers and retailers than any other city in the United States.
