The David Prize, an annual award that honors five individuals who are dedicated to improving New York City, has announced its fifth round of winners.

Mi Jong Lee, whose manufacturing business Emmelle Design was selected as a 2023 Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI) Grant Fund recipient by the CFDA and NYCEDC, is among the five chosen awardees, and is one of the first fashion-focused recipients since the program’s inception.

Mi Jong has been building a vertically integrated supply chain in New York’s Garment District that she hopes will be a strong, proximate resource for designers.

Through the acquisition of advanced machinery, some of which were purchased through her grants from the FMI Grant Fund, Lee’s growing infrastructure focuses on entry-level skill and high volume products, starting with T-shirts.

“I want to prove a paradigm shifting concept with this initiative and know that with our skilled labor force, this is only the beginning,” said Lee.

The idea of leading with T-shirts came to Lee after working as part of a coalition in New York City to produce PPE gowns during the pandemic and successfully scaling the gown production to over 1 million gowns.

“We succeeded through collaboration, mutual trust and accountability,” Lee said. “My vision for the NYC Garment District, which I am committed to, starts there. Not as a race to the bottom by undercutting each other, but through a collaborative culture that understands we that when lift one, we lift all.”

Lee’s vision, now invested through a $100,000 no-strings-attached funding through The David Prize, centers around four cornerstones, including automation for T-shirt manufacturing processes, a U.S. domestic supply chain, uplifting the U.S.’s skilled labor force, and consumer data-based agile production.

According to Lee, the efficiency of her factory has increased by 40 percent, compared to the analogue sewing before, which has brought great impact to narrow the gap of labor cost differentials.

In addition to business efficiencies, advances in more responsible supply chains and building transparency for U.S.-made products—which Lee strives to further advance with The David Prize and CFDA’s support—she added, that above all else, “the understanding and support for our garment industry is what will make the difference.”