As the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative celebrates its 11^th anniversary, the CFDA and New York City Economic Development Corporation announce the 2024 FMI Grant Fund recipients, with over $1.1 million distributed to 18 recipients.

The FMI Grant Fund, the tentpole program under the CFDA and NYCEDC’s Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, offers partially matching grants to New York City based contract manufacturing facilities committed to improving their services through innovation and technology. Since 2013, the fund has invested over $6.1 million across New York City’s manufacturing network and impacted the work of 2,042 employees.

This year’s recipients include: Button Down Factory, Carina, Dream Fashion, Emmelle Design, Glory Apparel, Heartland Manufacturing, In Style USA, Knit Resort, Polytime Atelier NYC, Rainbow Leather, Refine Studio, Rosagna Hernandez, Sunrise Studio, The Embroidery House & Son II, theTEN Atelier, Timberlake Studios, TÔMTEX, and Trimworld.

Among the 2024 recipients, 72.2% percent are women-owned businesses; 66.7% percent are minority-owned businesses; and 27.8% percent are first-time recipients of funds through the FMI Grant Fund. Nearly 300 jobs are impacted across this year’s recipient’s businesses through the grants.

“As we mark the 11th year of the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative, we are proud of the advances made in New York City fashion manufacturing and the diversity of grant recipients who make the sector a true reflection of New York City,” said CFDA CEO Steven Kolb.

“The success of the past decade of the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative speaks to NYCEDC’s commitment to supporting local fashion manufacturing and promoting inclusive economic growth throughout the city’s fashion industry,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “As we continue to reimagine modern manufacturing in New York City, NYCEDC congratulates this year’s cohort of talented recipients and looks forward to their continuous contributions to our city’s creative innovation industries.”

Services of the recipients include cutting and sewing, pattern and sample development, knitwear services, embellishment/embroidery, fabric dyeing, printing and washing, marking and grading, as well as material innovation development and production.

Criteria for the recipient selection included qualifiers surrounding sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as community and workforce impact and overarching business viability. All recipients successfully completed both financial audits as well as social compliance audits which covered areas such as health and safety, worker wages and welfare, and more.

“I am truly honored and thrilled to be a first-time recipient of the 2024 FMI Grant Fund. This recognition inspires us to continue striving for excellence in our industry,” said 2024 FMI recipient Rosagna Hernandez. “This grant will significantly enhance our operations by allowing us to acquire essential equipment and technology, enabling us to expand our services and better serve our community.”

“It is imperative we keep a foothold in the garment district to best accommodate our client base and continue our successful business model of serving the theatrical/performance industries,” said Timberlake Studios Founder and 2024 FMI recipient Sarah Timberlake. “Being in close proximity to those workrooms has an incalculable value toward the collaborative process which is so important to the success of the design in relation to the overall artistic production.  We also always appreciate the technical skills and products of the fashion industry and continue to tap into those specialty items or re-train machine operators in the methods specific to costume building.”

The Fashion Manufacturing Initiative’s programs over the past decade have included the FMI Grant Fund, separate relocation grants, COVID-19 relief grants via the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund’s A Common Thread, workforce relief and training programs, and more. The FMI also includes a full open access Production Directory on CFDA.com, featuring 380 local U.S. manufacturing resources for designers looking for new development and production partners.

Additional supporters of FMI include Premier Underwriter Ralph Lauren, as well as other past partners such as Andrew Rosen and Theory, DHL, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Coach Foundation, Walmart, and more.