Saint Louis Fashion Fund

What Saint Louis Fashion Fund does

Saint Louis Fashion Fund (SLFF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that operates as a fashion industry business incubator, education center, and community programming hub for the Midwest region. Its core programs include a two-year Designer Incubator that has graduated 12 emerging designers across two cohorts (5 of whom are scaling businesses locally and 4 of whom have received Arch Grants), the 'Speaking of Fashion' speaker series featuring global fashion icons at Washington University, the annual Fashion Futures celebration, Creative Process community forums, and the Susan Sherman Fashion Scholarship awarding six $5,000 scholarships annually to Missouri fashion students.

The organization is funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events, and does not charge for its core programming. Its go-to-market is event-driven: flagship speaker events draw 800+ attendees with 1,000-person waitlists, supplemented by fashion shows, trunk shows, lobby days, and runway events at venues across St. Louis. Strategic partnerships with Washington University, Caleres, Neiman Marcus, Arch Grants, and COCA provide venue, sponsorship, financial pipeline, and educational programming support.

SLFF is governed by a 20+ member board drawing senior executives from Caleres, Neiman Marcus, Edward Jones, Nestle Purina, Enterprise Mobility, U.S. Bank, and Lewis Rice, and is led by co-founder Susan Sherman (President/Chair) alongside newly appointed Executive Director Becky Domyan (2025). The organization maintains a regional Fashion Industry Directory Network connecting boutiques, manufacturers, designers, schools, and stylists, and operates with a 1-10 person staff.

Name

Saint Louis Fashion Fund

Legal name

Saint Louis Fashion Fund

Website

https://saintlouisfashionfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saint Louis Fashion Fund is a St. Louis-based nonprofit, founded in 2014, that incubates emerging fashion designers, runs education and scholarship programs, and produces flagship speaker and runway events for the regional fashion community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion Industry Education and Incubation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Fashion industry incubation
• Designer education programs
• Fashion scholarship funding
• Small business mentorship
• Nonprofit fashion advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: As a nonprofit organization, SLFF generates revenue through donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events to support its mission of fashion industry development in St. Louis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saint Louis Fashion Fund is a nonprofit organization that runs a two-year Designer Incubator program providing emerging fashion designers with business education, mentorship, marketing, and sales support. It also operates the 'Speaking of Fashion' speaker series, the Susan Sherman Fashion Scholarship program awarding six $5,000 scholarships annually to Missouri fashion students, fashion shows and trunk shows, and a comprehensive Fashion Industry Directory Network serving the St. Louis fashion community.

Product overview

Saint Louis Fashion Fund operates as a nonprofit fashion organization with multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include the Speaking of Fashion speaker series (partnered with Washington University and Caleres), a Designer Incubator Program providing two-year intensive training for emerging brands, and the annual Fashion Futures program featuring scholarship awards. The organization maintains a comprehensive Fashion Industry Directory Network connecting the local design community. Additional programs include Creative Process community forums, the Susan Sherman Fashion Scholarship ($5,000 awards for Missouri fashion students), and signature events such as the Unexpected Luxury Showcase. The Fund also hosts Karlie Kloss Way naming ceremonies and various fashion shows including the Tribute Fashion Show and Runway at CITYPARK events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Designer Incubator Program Two-year intensive business and fashion education program for emerging designer businesses, providing mentorship from top-tier St. Louis business leaders and national industry professionals, along with marketing and sales support. Designed for emerging fashion designers seeking to launch or scale their brands.
• Speaking of Fashion Series A nationally acclaimed speaker series featuring global fashion icons in conversation with fashion journalist Derek Blasberg. Past speakers include Wes Gordon, Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, Andre Leon Talley, Dapper Dan, and Karlie Kloss. Hosted at Washington University, attracting 800+ attendees with waitlists of 1,000.
• Susan Sherman Fashion Scholarship Scholarship program awarding six $5,000 scholarships annually to students attending Missouri colleges or universities with accredited fashion programs. Awards are earmarked for tuition, fees, books, and other education-related expenses.
• Creative Process Forums Free and open forums featuring panels, networking, and hands-on activities for local creatives to showcase their brands and receive advice from fashion mentors.
• Fashion Futures Program Annual event celebrating emerging fashion talent, featuring scholarship awards and sendoff ceremonies for aspiring designers.
• Fashion Industry Directory Network Comprehensive online directory serving as a fashion retail and education hub connecting designers, sewers, photographers, schools, boutiques, consultants, dry cleaners, fabric suppliers, event planners, talent agencies, seamstresses, and stylists in the St. Louis fashion and design space.
• Unexpected Luxury Showcase Trunk show and showcase event featuring luxury fashion brands, including events at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 designers graduated from incubator program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Long-standing partnership for the 'Speaking of Fashion' speaker series, with events hosted at Washington University's Graham Chapel and Brookings Drive campus. Provides venue and academic collaboration for fashion industry programming.
• CalerescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Global footwear company partner supporting Speaking of Fashion events and Fashion Futures scholarship programming. Co-sponsor of annual Fashion Futures sendoff events.
• Neiman Marcus - St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Luxury retailer partner for events including Susan Sherman Fashion Scholarship awards ceremony, trunk shows, and fashion events. Provides venue and sponsorship support.
• Center for Creative Arts (COCA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Educational partnership providing fashion classes, workshops, and summer camps for high school and college fashion students, utilizing SLFF's cut and sew operation facilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VFILES: VFILES is a platform and community that runs designer discovery competitions, grants, and showcases for emerging fashion talent, paralleling SLFF's mission to surface and fund independent designers.
• Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA): CFDA operates the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund and other designer-support programs that mentor and grant money to emerging American fashion designers, making it the most direct national-level peer to SLFF's incubator model.
• Fashion Group International: FGI is a global nonprofit industry organization hosting events, awards, and educational programming that connect fashion executives, designers, and students—directly comparable to SLFF's networking, scholarship, and speaking-series programming.

Others

• Première Vision: Première Vision is a global fashion industry trade-show and business platform serving designers, manufacturers, and brands—comparable as an ecosystem infrastructure player rather than a direct competitor.
• Arch Grants: Arch Grants is a St. Louis-based nonprofit that awards equity-free grants to startups; four SLFF incubator designers have received Arch Grants, making it a direct downstream funding partner and local ecosystem peer.

Broad incumbents

• Academy of Art University: Academy of Art University runs one of the largest private fashion-school programs in the US with scholarship and showcase programming comparable to SLFF's scholarship-and-incubator stack.
• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT): FIT is a major publicly funded fashion college with extensive industry partnerships, alumni networks, and incubation-adjacent programming, operating as a broader incumbent in the same fashion-education ecosystem as SLFF.
• Parsons School of Design: Parsons is a leading global fashion school with industry partnerships, designer awards, and accelerator-style programs such as the Parsons X Parsons challenge, making it a broad incumbent peer in fashion talent development.
• Kering Foundation: Kering Foundation is a fashion-industry philanthropic vehicle that funds women's empowerment and sustainability programs, analogous to SLFF as a fashion-focused grantmaking and advocacy organization, though operating globally rather than regionally.

Regional players

• Fashion for Good: Fashion for Good is an Amsterdam-based fashion innovation platform running an accelerator and grants program for sustainable fashion innovators; comparable mission shape but operating in Europe rather than the US Midwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/stlfashionfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saint-louis-fashion-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Saint Louis Fashion Fund