ST. LOUIS — The nonprofit Saint Louis Fashion Fund will move to a new space in Grand Center after it vacated its longtime garment district headquarters downtown earlier this year. It's also hunting for a new leader.
The group said it will move into a 1,000-square-foot, first-floor space at 3333 Washington Blvd. by summer 2021. The building is owned by an entity tied to the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, the arts nonprofit with significant holdings in the Midtown neighborhood. Renovation costs weren't disclosed.
Although significantly smaller than its old headquarters, which was 7,500 square feet at 1533 Washington Ave., the new Fashion Fund space meets the needs of an organization that has changed its approach for boosting the local industry, said Madeline Akins, its board chair.
She said it includes an area for conferences or events, plus offices in back.
That will allow for pop-ups featuring local and out-of-town designers, she said, but also space to connect designers with mentors. The organization will also look to connect manufacturers and distributors with resources to grow here, Akins said.
"What we want to do now is focus on any designer in the community or outside of St. Louis and support them," Akins said. "Our office got smaller, but our reach got bigger."
Fashion Fund says it wants to boost the local fashion industry to $6 billion by 2030. It's currently a $3.3 billion industry, it said, citing figures from economic development group AllianceSTL.
The fund had hosted a residency program, in which designers received mentorship, education and free studio space and a stipend, but dropped that model as it moved, calling it outdated.
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