Five fashion incubation projects giving hands-on help to start-ups, creatives and young talent in Hong Kong
A new breed of fashion incubators offers not just funding but hands-on help, access to business expertise, and mentorship programmes. We profile five that are helping young talent in fashion, jewellery and related industries
Fashion incubation programmes have long been established across Europe and America as a way to nurture and support new talent.
While it took a while for Asia to catch up, Hong Kong in particular has seen this category flourish, thanks to a growing community of fashion creatives that are looking to expand their footprint in the industry. Like many of their counterparts in the West, they are gravitating towards programmes that offer more than just funding.
“Fostering local creative industries and a thriving community with enterprising creativity is a global economic trend,” says Edmund Lee, executive director of Hong Kong Design Centre, which runs the government-subsidised Fashion Incubation Programme, which was launched in 2017.
“Incubation programmes offer support in the form of project funding, empowering participants to push their creative boundaries. By providing them access to affordable working space, knowledge and skills training, mentorship and industry networks, we can propel their success as entrepreneurs.”
Joanne Chow
Private companies such as The Fashion Farm Foundation, manufacturers and retailers have begun dedicating resources to promoting and educating young talent. Those making headlines recently include major manufacturing families such as Nan Fung Group, which will launch a creative hub called The Mills, and Azalvo, which is backed by fashion exporter and furniture importer Aussco.
The latter hopes to invest and give back to the numerous designers the company has manufactured for over the decades.