BF+DA – the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator – is a hub for ethical fashion that provides designers with the resources they need to go from idea to prototype to production to market. An initiative of the Pratt Institute, BF+DA helps small and emerging companies transform their ideas into successful businesses and manufacture their products in an ethical and sustainable way. One of the ways in which BF+DA does this is through its Production Lab, which offers 3D printing and laser cutting, a sample development studio, and a small-run apparel manufacturing facility, equipped with the latest technology in garment production {and no minimum unit requirements!}
We partnered with BF+DA to create patterns {a.k.a. garment-making templates} for our limited edition printed textile women’s skirts & men’s shirts. The patterns were then sent over to Rwanda where our newest partner cooperative, Kaliza, used them to create the very first items on our new, one-of-a-kind apparel line! We chatted with Tara St. James, BF+DA’s Production Coordinator, about why she wanted to work with Indego Africa. She said she was not only inspired by our mission but also by the handmade artistry of our artisan partners and was excited to take part in the process of cross-border creative collaboration that goes into bringing our collections to life.
We were equally excited to work with BF+DA and to take part in their platform for ethical fashion. We asked Tara, a sustainable fashion expert (and Founder/Creative Director of ethical womenswear label StudyNY) about her thoughts on the future of the industry. Here’s what she had to say:
“The next generation of consumers is knowledgeable and demanding a lot from designers, brands and companies. Shoppers are careful with their money and want to spend it on things that resonate with them. That’s why I think artisan-made products will have a very big place in the future. Being able to identify with your clothing and with who made it – the fact that it may be unique or individual – is going to be very important going forward.”
We are excited to see this future of socially conscious fashion unfold and to partner with organizations like like BF+DA that are helping to make it happen!
To shop our ethically made, brand new apparel collection, and stay tuned for our future collaborations with BF+DA (did someone say SWIM?!)
