Source: www.fibre2fashion.com
New York City mayor Eric Adams has announced a partnership with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) that will create new jobs for New Yorkers, expand Brooklyn’s footprint in the fashion industry, and provide a boost to New York’s economy. Slow Factory will be the first major tenant at Made in NY Garment Hub as part of redevelopment.
Slow Factory’s move into the garment hub will not only be its first ever brick and mortar location, but the move will build upon a thriving manufacturing sector in Sunset Park. Frontline climate justice leadership has long called for a focus on sustainability and green manufacturing in the district, home to the second largest concentration of garment manufacturers and employment in New York City. Slow Factory will establish a dedicated multidisciplinary institute, which will deliver educational programming and workforce training, a product studio, and a research and development lab all under one roof, office of the mayor said in a press release.
Other waste-to-resource training programmes will focus on design for disassembly that allow designers to work from thousands of pounds of discarded clothes, returned goods, and textile waste delivered to the Slow Factory through their brand partners. Slow Factory also plans to open the Slow Factory Institute, which aims to leverage its climate-positive education and training programs to stimulate sustainable economic development and pathways to skilled employment opportunities in historically marginalised communities. Opening an institute is the first milestone in the organisation’s larger plan to develop a network of climate institutes around the world.
“This school presents a revolutionary opportunity to offer a pragmatic, future-oriented curriculum in Sunset Park, Brooklyn,” said Céline Semaan, executive director, Slow Factory. “We are working diligently to fill a critical educational gap that focuses on climate justice and human rights, while creating a community hub for education and skills training.”
