St. Louis hustles to make itself a fashion capital again
Read the full story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch here
St. Louis has the potential to become the fashion epicenter it once was, according to industry leaders, so they’re putting their hope in the region’s young people to help create a city where people come to live and work in the fashion industry.
But it can be a hard sell, especially to fashion students who aspire to things beyond the Midwest, aiming for New York City Fashion Week and working in designers’ ateliers overseas.
Founded in 2014, the Saint Louis Fashion Fund aims to bring more fashion talent and designers to St. Louis, with hopes to rival New York, Paris and London. Since its inception, the Fashion Fund has awarded grant money, organized educational programming and hosted events spotlighting local businesses.
“We’ve always said, from the get-go, it’s about the business,” said Fashion Fund co-founder and president Susan Sherman. “Whether that’s encouraging young people to come back here for internships or jobs or helping train a workforce or being the best at something ... that takes money.”