Pratt Launches Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator

The New York fashion world has a new outpost: the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator (BF+DA), a space developed by Pratt Institute that provides start-ups with resources to establish successful businesses.

Located in South Williamsburg, the Accelerator launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and coverage in The Wall Street Journal on October 29. The initiative is just one part of Pratt’s effort to prepare graduates—in fashion, accessory, and product design—who are empowered to establish businesses and receive support as they grow.

“The Accelerator is Pratt Institute's vision for creating a bridge to success—a place where design start-ups will flourish, local manufacturing jobs will be created, and young people can design their future,” said Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte.

With funding from the State of New York, the Borough of Brooklyn, and the Institute, the BF+DA will provide studio space and production capability for 30 design-oriented candidates who are integrating environmental and social responsibility practices into their bottom line. It is open to both Pratt graduates and non-affiliated designers. Tenants will move in after renovations take place.

The Accelerator occupies a 15,000-square-foot space in the former Pfizer building, which has attracted a number of independent businesses and food start-ups with a small-scale, artisanal production ethos. One of the chief goals of the BF+DA is to support businesses as they move toward broader viability in the marketplace. The Accelerator will house traditional and advanced manufacturing equipment on-site, with access to a micro-run production facility, where designers can have one to 100 units produced, and other key facilities for prototyping and testing apparel.

"I think there's a growing trend right now amongst many people in the industry to bring back manufacturing jobs to New York and America," said Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, about the BF+DA in The Wall Street Journal. "This is a very exciting development in the fashion industry. It has traction and is beginning to make a difference."

The Accelerator also includes a showroom and event space called the “Plaza.” The area functions as a workspace by day and transforms into to a lecture hall, performance space, or fashion runway by night.  BF+DA occupants can take advantage of networking and educational opportunities: business development and legal services, exposure to industry leaders, workforce development, and classes in entrepreneurship.

The Accelerator was founded by Debera Johnson, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Design Strategies. Johnson also founded the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation in 2002 during her tenure as chair of the Industrial Design Department. Under her leadership, the Incubator has helped create more than 38 start-ups.