In partnership with the Accessories Council, the Elaine Gold Launch Pad’s current crop – Ashya’s Moya Annece and Ashley Cimone; OCCHII’s Leonid Batekhin and Roberto Hungria; ADIFF’s Angela Luna; Tyche & Iset’s Morganne Leigh, and Cyril Studio’s Leila Du Mond – convened at Camp David last Thursday to pitch their Design Sprint presentations to the selection committee.
This moment in the program provides these talents with the opportunity to spotlight a meaningful idea or prototype to receive micro-funding to put the ideas into action. As part of the Design Sprint Challenges, $60,000 will be distributed among the five design fellow brands, from a total of $175,000 allotted for this year’s program, which includes a $25,000 contribution from MZ Wallace.
“It’s so refreshing to see what these young designers have to bring to the table,” Monica Zwirner of MZ Wallace said. “We built our own company on an idea that challenged the norm—and we remember every difficult step along the way—so it’s very meaningful to us to be able to offer support in a way that helps bring new ideas to fruition.”
As part of the Design Sprint Presentation, Ashya’s Annece and Cimone proposed to use funds to partner with select manufacturers for product design refinement of their existing styles.
Meanwhile, the OCCHII duo proposed to create the OCCHII style library featuring their key styles across a variety of set size ranges. The usage of the library would include OCCHII shoppers the ability to ensure a consistent fit and customization opportunity.
ADIFF’s Luna requested funds to travel to Greece in order to focus her manufacturing production in refugee sewing centers in the area.
Leigh, of Tyche & Iset, requested funds for a 3D resin printer that would ease the sampling process and cut in half the time of traditional eyewear manufacturing.
Cyril Studio’s DuMond proposed using the funds for sourcing American quartz, using safe tube mining practices and creating a capsule collection that communicates a link to the sourcing location. “Launch Pad has offered an opportunity to expand my sights as a designer, by shifting my focus beyond the immediate and towards new methods of working that will serve the brand and our surrounding community.”
“EGLP has been a nurturing and supportive environment that is helping us bring our ideas to fruition,” OCCHII’s Batekhin said. “It has also been an incredible space to connect with peers and mentors that inspire us to keep moving forward and take chances.”
ADIFF’s Luna added, “Being in the Launch Pad has brought my brand to a new level. The mentor support and workshops have challenged me to take my original concept so much further than I could have ever imagined. Not only am I getting a deeper sense of the industry, but I’m also developing the necessary skills to run a successful fashion brand.”
Special thanks to the selection committee members Karen Giberson, Leila Larijani, Monica Zwirner, Lucy Wallace Eustice, Thomas Gibb, Sebastian Park, Michelle Tulac, Sara Kozlowski, Steven Kolb, Lucy Jones, and Jack Burns, as well as Camp David for hosting.
Pictured: From left, Ashley Cimone, Moya Annece, Morganne Leigh, Leila Du Mond, Loulwa Al Saad, Angela Luna, Leonid Batekhin, and Roberto Hungria.
