Lakmé Fashion Week and WeWork launch fashion incubation program for young designers

Lakmé Fashion Week and WeWork launch fashion incubation program for young designers

Akshat Bansal of Bloni, Sumiran Kabir Sharma of Anaam, Anjali Patel Mehta of Verandah and Saaksha & Kinni are part of the first batch

Mumbai, 2nd February 2018: Since its inception, Lakmé Fashion Week has provided young creative minds with an ideal platform to showcase their talent. Whether it is through the Gen Next programme, or the model auditions, LFW has always lent support to young talent and provided them with relevant opportunities to grow within the fashion industry. In line with these efforts, IMG Reliance and Lakmé Fashion Week have partnered with global coworking giant, WeWork, to launch a fashion incubation program. This is an exclusive opportunity for young designers to access space at WeWork in Mumbai or Gurgaon for a period of three months. The key objective of the program is to help young designers to be part of a larger progressive movement that WeWork provides with access to cross industry learning which is missing in the fashion industry. This initiative promises to accelerate growth with opportunities to network and learn from peers in diverse fields of creativity and business. 

The program will run in parallel across Mumbai and Gurgaon with 80 designers who would be given the opportunity to use the WeWork space. While the first batch is being selected by IMGR, there will be a registration process for future batches.  Designers who are interested to apply can register at www.fashionincubator.splashthat.com/ or follow lakme fashion week social media handles for the eligibility criteria. The programme will run for a year till February next year in 4 batches of 20 designers each

Some of the young designers showcasing at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2018 are part of this programme including Akshat Bansal of Bloni and Sumiran Kabir Sharma of Anaam who showcased their collections today. Others like Saaksha & Kinni and Anjali Patel Mehta of Verandah who are also part of the incubation programme will be showcasing at LFW tomorrow. The incubation program will also feature creative design entrepreneurs in the sustainable fashion space.

Speaking on the launch of the initiative at Lakme Fashion Week, noted designer Payal Singhal said, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for designers. Mumbai is constantly battling with issues like lack of space and high rentals that hinder businesses from kick starting. As we face these problems in the city, it is amazing for WeWork  to give designers this opportunity which allows the space and time to build their business. WeWork is also an interesting co-working space that allows individuals to interact with people from different industries; thereby allowing professionals to expand their social network. It is an initiative that is the need of the hour and we couldn’t be more happy about it.”

The key objective of WeWork is to create a world where people make a life, not just a living. WeWork builds workspaces of the future, by providing the best of design, technology and services to increase productivity, creativity and collaboration. Aside from their beautiful interiors, WeWork spaces are entirely serviced, allowing one to focus all their energies on delivering amazing work.

The Fashion Incubation Program is a natural extension of WeWork’s mission to empower creators. It stems from the idea of creating a fashion and design hub, where upcoming creative entrepreneurs will be given the chance to turn their ideas into reality at the WeWork office spaces, through much-needed infrastructure and networking opportunities.

All WeWork spaces include facilities such as Wi-Fi, unlimited coffee and beer, conference room access, daily events and space to curate pop-ups and most importantly, the chance to be a part of a growing community of young, progressive entrepreneurs who are game-changers in diverse fields. The spaces are carefully designed to create various environments that are suited to all types of work needs – from brainstorming areas and open spaces to unwind, phone booths for private conversations, and lounge areas to socialize to quiet areas and private cabins for teams small and large. Dedicated community teams create a sense of belonging for all the members, encouraging connections and cross-learning.

Talking about the collaboration, Mr. Jaspreet Chandok, Head of Fashion at IMG Reliance said, “A fun, collaborative workspace – WeWork – resonates with Lakmé Fashion Week’s idea of providing upcoming talent with ample opportunities to grow, create and excel. Through this partnership, LFW aims at taking yet another step toward helping the next generation of fashion talent with a workspace that allows creativity to flow & pathbreaking ideas to manifest without worrying about the necessities.”

Sharing his thoughts about the partnership, Mr. Ryan Bennett, General Manager, WeWork India said, “WeWork is a platform for creators and we truly believe in offering a holistic creative experience in our workspaces. By partnering with Lakme Fashion Week for this incubation program, we believe that we are nurturing and encouraging some of the best creative minds that will go on to do their best work and will inspire our member community. As an integral part of the WeWork experience, our goal is to support and inspire our community in the best possible manner”.