The $1 million boost for New York’s garment district

The goal is to simultaneously advance Custom Collaborative’s efforts with its existing community as well as expand its reach to the garment district more broadly — and strengthen a once-thriving sector that has dwindled over the decades.

“Since we’ve been in the garment district, I’ve met so many businesses I didn’t even know were here,” says Okaro. “Some know each other, some don’t — it’s fragmented. Our space [is] almost a community space where businesses can meet each other. This funding will enable us to host events where the community can come together.”

In the process, she adds, the funding will support a heavier focus on sustainability within the garment district. The Fashion Career Design Hub will offer classes in sustainable design, for example, and the equipment is meant to incorporate traditional manufacturing processes in a more modern context.

“It’s kind of the next old-but-new thing in fashion. We’re thinking about what people have always been doing, [and using new equipment to] reclaim old methods of sustainability,” the executive director says, referencing the felting and weaving machines — as well as “computer-assisted zero-waste design and a tech lab. We’ll be able to offer a 30-hour class where you’ll learn how to design clothes without having to first make tonnes of tests and samples. We’ll have the space and hardware for that.”

Mutual benefit

The injection of cash will help accelerate the work Custom Collaborative has already been doing, ranging from its 15-week training programme and one-off classes to finding new and innovative ways to support the women who participate. In November 2022, for example, it hosted a photo shoot with highly regarded photographer Camila Falquez as a way to showcase the designs of 17 programme participants, and the designers themselves. This enabled them to experience the more glamorous side of the industry that they often don’t see, while also highlighting and celebrating the range of backgrounds, sizes and ages they represent.