The Chicago Fashion Incubator
Photography by Sara Silvestri
Chicago, the creative hub of the Midwest, contains great music, entertainment, food and believe it or not fashion. Just above the hustle and bustle of Macy’s iconic State Street location lies a hidden gem. The Chicago Fashion Incubator is one of the cities greatest fashion feats that often goes unnoticed. In 2005 Mayor Daley realized the power that the Chicago Fashion Industry held. He started the city’s first ever fashion initiative. He knew that the fashion community could bring something to the city like never before. This initiative could create economic growth and lessen the impact of fast fashion on the environment. The scene was set and the city was the perfect backdrop. The Chicago community has long been known for its impeccable garment creation and Mayor Daley wanted to carry on the tradition.
With overwhelming enthusiasm, in 2008 the Chicago Fashion Incubator was born. The mission of the Incubator is simple, to give Chicago designers the foundation they need to succeed. From the fabric bolt, to the customer. The Incubator chooses six up-and-coming Chicago designers and gives them the tools they need to build their brand from the ground up. The designers each sign a two year residency with the non-for-profit in hopes of taking their business to the next level.
The 11th floor of the historic Macy’s building, once known as Marshall Fields, has been transformed into the perfect entrepreneur center. The space is equipped with a state-of-the-art textile manufacturing workroom. It contains cutting tables, sewing machines, and pressing stations where the designers can create their collections. The space contains offices for each designer as well as multimedia rooms for buyer presentations or simply inspiration. The fashion incubator has hosted 43 Chicago based designers since its inception and hopes to host many more.
The fashion incubator is made possible by its generous corporate sponsors, who are dedicated to not only fostering local talent but to strengthening the grip on the fashion industry that the Chicago community has. In the future the program hopes to extend its grasp to drive Chicago’s influences even further into the fashion industry. It is truly refreshing to see the city of Chicago attempt to turn its cheek on the fast fashion industry by opting to nourish local talent and their handmade pieces.
Chicago designer Andrea Reynders is the current Creative Director of the Chicago Fashion Incubator or CFI. She stressed to me the importance of fashion being seen as a business model. “ The incubator is really important, this is where talent comes to launch their own brands” says Reynders. “A lot of schools will give you the basis for the development of becoming a designer, working on the creative aspect of it, but very few institutions will teach you the business end of it, this is what happens here at the CFI.” Andrea is a designer in her own right, when she is not at the fashion incubator she is a professor at the Chicago Art Institute where she teaches fashion design. With her experience as a professor and as a designer herself, Andrea is a wealth of knowledge.
Fashion Incubator Designer In Residence: Rakan Shams Aldeen
I sat down and chatted with one of the six housed fashion designers involved in the CFI, Rakan Shams Aldeen. Rakan studied fashion and architecture in Istanbul and then moved to the United States. His work is couture. It takes Rakan weeks, even months, to create his one of a kind pieces. His garments are cut by hand, stitched by hand, and beaded by hand. Rakan’s inspiration is sparked by many elements, ” I would say architecture inspires me most. I studied it in the Middle East for six years, it’s all in my mind” he said. “Art is everywhere and every great artist creates from his soul. My creations depend on my mood, what am I feeling and how I can transfer those feelings to my work.”
