RPI, FIT and Field to Fiber among those to lead New York’s Fashion Innovation Centre

As New York Fashion Week began to shutter its doors for the season, eyes started to look towards the future of the city’s textile industry as it continues to set up a new Fashion Innovation Centre.

Initially unveiled during NYFW of September 2022, the centre was said to have started development to help advance the production of New York state-produced smart and sustainable textiles to be used by the fashion industry.

Addressing the lack of collaboration between the state’s agriculture community and fashion, the location hopes to give leaders from across these sectors the opportunity to build on this, supporting local farms and reducing environmental waste.

Now, during the NFYW just passed, governor Kathy Hochul, who has been involved with the initiative since its inception, has announced a consortium of six members that have been selected to manage the centre.

Consortium to receive nine million dollar grant

Led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the members consist of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Hudson Valley Textile Project, Field to Fiber, SUNY Morrisville and Made X Hudson.

Each of those selected have been tasked with conducting research to bolster the centre’s mission, as well as creating an accelerator that provides space for early-stage companies to work on promising developments.

The consortium was selected by the Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation, which awarded the group a five-year, 8.95 million dollar grant to reimburse the establishment and operation of the centre.

In a statement, Hochul said: "As the fashion capital of the world, New York is working to develop innovative ideas that help make this industry more sustainable.

“We’re stitching together a team of experts at the Fashion Innovation Center that will help develop a smarter, greener fashion industry here in New York.

“From the farmers who produce raw materials like linen and cotton to the universities educating the next generation of designers, New Yorkers from across sectors are working together to advance innovative solutions and build a more sustainable industry.”