Hot Cuture
... chance to do just that. This opportunity was awaiting the fashion designers at Forward, a retail incubator funded by the Lower East Side Business Improvement District (BID)in New York City. Forward was created as a place where young entrepreneurs could combine their passion for fashion and clothing with the business side of retail. Forward first four participants, were chosen from among 60 applicants, each paying $4200 to be part of the six months program, which organizers dubbed "The Real World of Fashion." The store was originally slated to open at the end of 2001, but Forward delayed its launched until January 2002 due to the terrorist attacts and troubled economic times. Still the participants have learned alot since then and they all point to a noticeable increase in sales since the stores opening. Sharing a store front with other designers brought in the store all sorts of clientele, including famous faces like Robert DeNiro and Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Feilds. The Forward program itself also garnered a lot of publicity for the store, including an article in the New York Times that generated serious foot traffic and calls from customers worldwide. I think this ...