Factory45

Summary

Factory45 is a six-month online mentorship program that takes sustainable fashion brand from idea to launch. They work together to source fabric, find a manufacturer and raise money to fund your first production run.

Over the past five years, Factory45 has helped entrepreneurs from all over the world learn how to successfully bring apparel products to market.

Mentorship program

Factory45 is made up of five online modules released over four months, to take you from the idea stage to pre-production to launch.

Module 1

Sourcing: Effectively research and source the fabric and materials you need to create your apparel product or clothing line.

Module 2

Brand Identity: Identify who your ideal customer is, how to effectively communicate what you sell and learn proven strategies that will get a potential customer’s attention.

Module 3

Pre-Production

Connect with top industry designers, sample makers, patternmakers and production partners that will help you turn your ideas into prototypes and patterns.

Module 4

Ecommerce Marketing

Ensure that you’ll have buzz around your product launch. You can’t launch to crickets, so you need to learn how to build an audience before you start selling.

Module 5

Preparing for Launch

Test your product at market through crowdfunding and pre-sales. See first-hand how your target market responds to your product and if it makes financial sense to begin manufacturing.

Testimonies

“I had worked with a few other databases before but always got stuck when I had a question specific to my situation and nowhere to turn. The fact that I could email Shannon at any time, no matter how basic the question, was worth every investment in the program.” MARY BEMIS, Founder of Reprise

“If I had tried to launch my company on my own, I would still probably be in the research phase. But thanks to Shannon and Factory45, I created a responsibly sourced women’s capsule collection and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign (raising almost $90K) in under six months.” CARA BARTLETT. Founder of VETTA

Results

As Rebecca Strong reported: “Already, graduates of Factory45—who include a former NBA sports reporter, an international humanitarian, a former Miss Wheelchair Kentucky, a bond trader on Wall Street, and an award-winning handbag designer—say they’ve reaped substantial rewards from what they’ve learned”.

“The format and exercises in Factory45 provided a framework around which I was able to build out my manufacturing process, drill down on my ideal customer, create well-tailored branding / marketing materials and develop my go-to-market strategy,” said Tina Hofer Medico, founder of The Spark Board. “It has been the perfect place for me to regroup from my first attempt to go to market two years ago, dust off my bruised ego and build a sturdy foundation for my business.”

References

• https://factory45.co/alumni-stories
• https://factory45.co/
• https://consciouscompanymedia.com/social-entrepreneurship/factory-45-is-pushing-for-a-more-sustainable-fashion-industry/
• https://www.americaninno.com/boston/fashion-startups-factory45-an-ethical-fashion-accelerator/