Brooklyn Fashion & Design Accelerator

What Brooklyn Fashion & Design Accelerator does

Brooklyn Fashion & Design Accelerator (BF+DA), founded in 2013, is a nonprofit hub for ethical and sustainable fashion design and an initiative of Pratt Institute, headquartered at 630 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY. The organization operates a three-lab ecosystem: s.LAB provides sustainability consulting and a physical textile library; t.LAB houses technology research including the TEK-TILES smart textiles program (which produced 30 smart textiles); and p.LAB offers production capabilities including cut & sew, knit, 3D printing, laser cutting, and WHOLEGARMENT 3D knitting. BF+DA serves fashion designers, sustainable fashion entrepreneurs, and Pratt-affiliated students through Venture Fellows and Research Fellows programs, tiered memberships (Pioneer, Emerging, Studying), workshops, events, and consulting engagements.

BF+DA's business model blends grant funding, fee-based consulting (s.LAB at $180 for the first 1.5-hour session and $120 per subsequent hour), low-cost ticketed events ($10 general / $5 emerging and students), membership subscriptions, and space rentals. Strategic partnerships with the U.S. Department of Commerce ($486,000 grant in 2016), NYCEDC's Futureworks NYC, Mimaki USA, CFDA, Supima, AEG, and Not Just a Label extend its reach beyond a single facility. Customers include early-stage sustainable fashion startups such as Grammar, Fair Harbor, Kirrin Finch, Loomia, Vaute Couture, LuRu Home, and Study NY.

The organization has raised approximately $986,000 across two disclosed funding rounds (2016 and 2017). Its operational scale is concentrated in the Northeast US with a single physical site, and its value proposition rests on the integrated lab infrastructure, smart textiles R&D output, sustainable textile knowledge base, and affiliation with Pratt Institute's design ecosystem. The company does not disclose revenue, and operating data beyond 2017 is not present in the available material.

Name

Brooklyn Fashion & Design Accelerator

Legal name

Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator

Website

https://bkaccelerator.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

BF+DA is a nonprofit hub for ethical and sustainable fashion design, affiliated with Pratt Institute, providing designers with integrated sustainability consulting, smart textiles research, and production labs in Brooklyn, NY.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Fashion Accelerator Services

NAICS

Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) (31525)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC)

Keywords

• Sustainable fashion consulting
• Fashion production labs
• Smart textiles research
• Ethical fashion education
• Designer accelerator programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: s.LAB consulting services for sustainable textile sourcing, sustainable strategies, and life cycle optimization. Fees are $180 for first 1.5 hours and $120 for subsequent hourly sessions.
2. Membership Programs: Tiered membership structure including Pioneer, Emerging, and Studying tiers with different pricing for events and access.
3. Event and Workshop Fees: Fees charged for workshops (WHOLEGARMENT 3D Knitting), Textile Tuesdays ($10 general, $5 emerging/students, free for pioneering members), and other educational events.
4. Space Rental: Host Your Event Here program allows external groups to rent BF+DA space for events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator (BF+DA) is a hub for ethical fashion and design that provides designers with physical lab access, sustainability consulting, and production capabilities to transform ideas into sustainable fashion businesses. Its core offerings include the Sustainability Lab (s.LAB) consulting and textile library, Technology Lab (t.LAB) for TEK-TILES smart textiles research, Production Lab (p.LAB) with cut & sew, knit, 3D printing, and laser cutting, plus the Sustainable Fashion Roadmap online tool and membership/educational programming.

Product overview

Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator is a hub for ethical fashion providing a multi-lab ecosystem including s.LAB (sustainability consulting and textile library), t.LAB (technology and smart textiles research including TEK-TILES), and p.LAB (production facilities for cut & sew, knit, 3D printing, and laser cutting). The accelerator offers the Sustainable Fashion Roadmap Tool as an online resource and operates membership, Venture Fellows, and educational programs. Located at Pratt Institute, the organization connects designers with manufacturing capabilities including WHOLEGARMENT 3D knitting through Shima Seiki machines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sustainable Fashion Roadmap Tool

Quantifiable outcome

• 30 smart textiles developed through TEK-TILES program

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Futureworks NYCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NYCEDC's Futureworks NYC initiative providing advanced manufacturing access. BF+DA offers WHOLEGARMENT 3D knitting workshops in collaboration with Futureworks, which provides prototyping and production credits, coworking, mentorship, and access to equipment across the city.
• Mimaki USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Mimaki Days: Sustainable Textile Printing Seminars. Mimaki USA provides free textile printing demonstrations for prototyping and short-run production at BF+DA facilities, demonstrating environment-friendly textile printing technology.
• AEGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEG partnered with Not Just a Label and BF+DA (with Tara St James featured) to underline the importance of fabric care and sustainable fashion education, addressing microfiber pollution from synthetic textiles.
• Not Just a Label (NJAL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading global network of contemporary designers partnered with AEG and BF+DA for fabric care education initiative focused on sustainable fashion and reducing environmental impact.
• SupimaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupima Design Competition partnered with Pratt Institute's BF+DA, with Lauren Nahigian representing Supima in the collaboration.
• CFDAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBF+DA Production Coordinator and Research Fellow Tara St James participates in CFDA discussions on 'Sourcing and Working with Socially Sustainable Artisans' as part of CFDA programming.
• PureThread/Jill HellerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStylist and showroom owner Jill Heller, founder of PureThread, increased C.L.A.S.S. NYC presence and collaborates with sustainable fashion ecosystem.
• Green Carpet ChallengeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiusy Bettoni, C.L.A.S.S. CEO, is also director of the Green Carpet Challenge Fabric Library, an initiative within the sustainable fashion ecosystem.
• Pratt InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBF+DA is an initiative of Pratt Institute. The organization is located within Pratt's Brooklyn campus and leverages the institution's design education resources and student pipeline.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fashion for Good: Global sustainable fashion accelerator and innovation platform running a startup program, funding pilots and offering a 'Good Fashion Fund'. Highly comparable to BF+DA as a mission-aligned accelerator dedicated to sustainable fashion innovation.
• Manufacture NY: NYC-based fashion industry hub supporting designers with production, education and incubator services. Closely comparable to BF+DA's p.LAB production lab and Venture Fellows program serving NYC-based fashion entrepreneurs.
• Newlab: Brooklyn-based innovation hub hosting advanced manufacturing, robotics and material science ventures. Comparable as a multi-lab Brooklyn hub supporting hardware/textile entrepreneurs with shared workspace and equipment.
• NYCEDC Futureworks NYC: NYC Economic Development Corporation's advanced manufacturing initiative for fashion providing prototyping, mentorship and equipment credits. Directly comparable to the BF+DA / Futureworks WHOLEGARMENT knitting partnership and shared NYC-based fashion manufacturing mission.
• Plug and Play (Fashion & Retail vertical): Global technology accelerator operating a Fashion & Retail vertical that runs cohort programs for fashion-tech and retail-tech startups. Comparable as a cohort-based accelerator model serving fashion-tech entrepreneurs.

Others

• Pratt Institute: Brooklyn-based design school and BF+DA's parent institution. Listed for ecosystem context rather than direct competition — BF+DA operates as an initiative under Pratt's umbrella.
• Parsons School of Design (The New School): NYC-based fashion and design school with adjacent sustainability and entrepreneurship programming. Comparable as a NYC fashion education peer, though not an operating accelerator.
• Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA): Not-for-profit trade association for American fashion designers that runs education and sustainability programming and partners with BF+DA. Ecosystem peer rather than direct competitor.
• Sustainable Apparel Coalition: Industry coalition developing sustainability tools (the Higg Index) for apparel and footwear brands. Mission-aligned with BF+DA's s.LAB sustainability consulting, but operates as an industry standards body rather than a hub.

Emerging players

• Fabricate (fab lab network): International network of digital fabrication labs (Fab Labs) offering shared access to 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC equipment. Comparable as a maker/fab lab infrastructure peer, though textile-specific capability is limited.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bkaccelerator
• YouTubevimeo.com/bkaccelerator
• Facebookfacebook.com/BKaccelerator
• Instagraminstagram.com/bkaccelerator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3991571

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brooklyn Fashion & Design Accelerator