St. Louis fashion nonprofit names new leader

Full Story in the Saint Louis Business Journal

The Saint Louis Fashion Fund, a nonprofit promoting the fashion industry in St. Louis, has named an executive director.

The organization said Friday that Becky Domyan took the role of SLFF's executive director, effective Jan. 1. She is senior vice president and market manager for broadcasting company Audacy Inc. for St. Louis and Wichita, a role she'll continue to hold, officials said in a press release. Audacy's St. Louis-area stations include KMOX-AM, KEZK-FM and KFTK-FM.

SLFF has been led by Susan Sherman, co-founder and board chair, since March 2022 when then-CEO Monique Levy left the nonprofit after less than a year in that role. Sherman will retain her role as chairman, according to the release.

Prior to joining Philadelphia-based Audacy, then known as Entercom, in 2018, Domyan spent 12 years with radio broadcaster Emmis Communications in roles such as account executive, general sales manager and director of recruitment. She also spent nearly four years in management roles with Enterprise Rent-A Car.

Domyan, who joined the SLFF board in 2023, also serves on the boards of the St. Louis Sports Commission, Missouri Broadcasters Association and Heat Up St. Louis.

“Although I’ve been a media executive for 17 plus years, as early as I can remember, I’ve had two passions in life – leadership and fashion," Domyan said in a statement. "While leadership is the core of my purpose at work and in the community, fashion has been, and is, my creative outlet."

“Becky’s commitment and enthusiastic support of the fashion community and her demonstrated history of work in the media industry is a powerful combination that will serve Saint Louis Fashion Fund on so many levels," Sherman said in a statement. "We look forward to her energetic and dynamic leadership as the Fund continues its aggressive program of work to support the fashion ecosystem which generates $7.7 billion annually to our region."

Domyan is taking over a much smaller organization than what SLFF once was.

The nonprofit became a "virtual office" during the pandemic, and no longer operates from its former space in Grand Center, a spokesperson said. SLFF currently has four paid consultants who manage its social and traditional media who now will report to Domyan for a total of five staff members, according to the spokesperson, who added that Sherman will remain active on a voluntary basis.

Founded in 2014, the organization ran a designer incubator program from 2017 through 2018, rebranding it as a design co-op offering rental space, which it launched in 2019. By late 2018, SLFF officials said it was "nearing the $2 million mark" on a capital campaign it had launched in 2015 to raise that amount to build out its original space at 1533 Washington Ave. and to fund three years of operating expenses.

In 2020, it discontinued the co-op program and in 2021 left its space at 1533 Washington to move to smaller space at 3333 Washington in Grand Center, prior to going virtual since the pandemic. The smaller location met the needs of an organization that changed its approach to supporting the local fashion business, a board member told the Business Journal when the new location was announced. The Grand Center space would allow for pop-ups featuring local and out-of-town designers, the board member had said, as well as space where designers can connect with mentors. SLFF officials also said it was moving to Grand Center to be closer to Evolution St. Louis, a $5 million knitting factory that SLFF helped recruit to St. Louis in 2019 and that ceased operations in May this year.

SLFF was granted 501(c)3 nonprofit status in 2015, when it reported total revenue of $266,599 and total expenses of $124,636, according to its IRS filing. It reached its highest revenue in 2018, reporting total revenue of $926,928 and total expenses of $726,150.

For 2023, Saint Louis Fashion Fund reported total revenue of $123,224 and total expenses of $180,061, with net assets of $37,485 as of Dec. 31, according to its most recent IRS filing. The organization reported total salaries, compensation and benefits of $23,292, but didn't break out compensation for any employees, as that's only required by the IRS for the five highest-compensated employees paid over $100,000.

SLFF's current initiative is to "continue to support, empower and connect emerging brands and industry-related businesses to drive job creation and economic growth for the St. Louis region," the spokesperson said Friday, adding that SLFF "serves as the leading voice and advocate for more than 800 fashion-related businesses."

According to the spokesperson, going forward SLFF plans to:

  • Advocate with state and federal government to grow the fashion business;

  • Continue to mentor local students interested in design and fashion careers through its Fashion Futures initiative in partnership with Clayton-based shoe company Caleres;

  • Fund scholarships and internships, with the Susan Sherman Fashion Scholarship, in partnership with the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, announced earlier this month and a call for scholarships to be announced early next year;

  • Continue its Speaking of Fashion speaker series, in partnership with Washington University and Caleres, that previously featured designers Diane von Furstenberg and Michael Kors.

Saint Louis Fashion Fund