TORONTO — Not every business director leaves money in their will to a company they served. But Susan Langdon, the executive director of the Toronto Fashion Incubator, plans on giving back in this way to the groundbreaking center that has nurtured new design talent for the last 25 years.
“A part of my estate will go to TFI. That’s no different to me than buying a table at a gala to support TFI,” Langdon told WWD after the incubator marked its 25th anniversary last month at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum.
“I believe in the incubator,” said Langdon. “It’s done great work over the years to give young designers a start in the fashion industry. But aside from belief, you have to walk the talk.”
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The May fund-raiser, dubbed TFI25, helped raise 100,000 Canadian dollars, or $97,290, to fund the nonprofit organization that shepherds aspiring designers through the business of fashion.
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The gala, which drew 700 guests, also had a Barbie-inspired runway show and the annual New Labels competition. Edmonton native Sid Neigum was named 2012’s New Labels winner. The budding designer received a prize of 25,000 Canadian dollars, or $24,322, as well as a magazine feature and studio space at the incubator’s headquarters in downtown Toronto.
Langdon hopes the incubator can increase its assistance to designers during the next 25 years.
“My dream is to build a foundation that could give grants to designers. No such thing exists in Canada at this time,” said Langdon. “We have incredible talent in this country. But we don’t have the money here or the investors willing to take a chance on new designers.”
For 17 years now, Langdon has helmed the business center, which is located at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
The program was the first of its kind when it was created by the City of Toronto in 1987 to boost the fashion industry. Since then, the incubator has been replicated internationally, spawning similar organizations in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Dublin, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Milan.
Over the years, Canadian success stories such as Joeffer Caoc, David Dixon, Crystal Siemens, Arthur Mendonça and others have benefited from the incubator’s resident program and its wealth of resources.
“Our goal never changes,” said Langdon. “We offer the guidance and resources it takes to help designers grow a business.”
To that end, TFI houses 10 studios on its 8,300-square-foot premises, which designers can rent for 500 Canadian dollars, or $486, a month. That fee includes access to sewing machines, patternmaking and dressmaking equipment and online resources.
Designers can also access 2,000 files in the organization’s library, which include samples of business plans, lists of contractors, online trend forecasts and more.
Finally, the incubator offers mentorship to new designers. Dixon is one alumnus who participates in this program. After graduating from Toronto’s Ryerson University in 1993, Dixon launched his business in 1995.
“I came from a construction family,” Dixon told WWD. “I knew nothing about fashion. I thought I could toss some clothes on a mannequin and my business would fly. I was wrong.”
Dixon spent three years in a TFI studio. That time was an eye-opening experience.
“I learned that fashion is a business,” said Dixon. “We were taught what a press pack should look like and how to make cold calls. It was like Motown for fashion designers. We were groomed to go out there and succeed.”
Mendonça also spent three years in a TFI studio after he left school and started his own company in 2002.
“Launching a business is expensive. But I was able to focus on p.r. and the quality of my work with the Incubator’s help,” said Mendonça. “Many designers go blindly into this field. But you have to have the right business plan to succeed.”
That’s where the Incubator steps in, according to Langdon.
“There are thousands of people out there who want to be fashion designers or own a retail store, but don’t have the acumen to do it. We can change that,” she said.