Start Your Own Fair Trade Fashion Brand

Calling all creatives, freelancers, aspiring business owners, and those who support entrepreneurial activities!

Join A. Bernadette and NYC Fair Trade Coalition for a four-part business plan workshop. This is a 4 part workshop series taking place Mondays from 3-5 pm. Students will have the option of attending the class remotely or in person. Only 5 students will be admitted in person. Masks will be required.

The four parts will be broken down into:

Session 1- Market Research, Target Market, & Competitive Landscape

Give us your pitch. Don't have one? No worries. We are here for you in this first session to tackle the market research, identify your target market, and check out the competitive landscape. Let's make sure your idea has some legs, is original, and has a market out there.

Session 2- Branding & Marketing

What does your brand stand for? What is the foundation of your company? The triple bottom line? Do you stand for women's empowerment? The environment? Technology? Let's find your intersection and make a marketing plan. Who are your ideal partners and how do we get them to notice you

Session 3- Product Development

You've got your company name, logo, and ideal customer, now let's give them a beautiful quality product. We'll tap into our fair trade fashion resources and come up with a plan to find pattern makers, production managers, manufacturers, and ethically sourced supplies.

Session 4- Retailing and Distribution

Maybe the most important and hardest to execute, retailing and distribution, we will examine the many ways to bring your items to market and how to grow in a sustainable way. From pop-up shops to trade shows we'll go over each and talk about the benefits and pitfalls.

How each session works:

Each session will begin with a lesson on the subject matter of the day. Next, a workshop will be given to help you answer the questions which will create your business plan. Lastly, we will buddy up and read our answers to receive feedback. The instructors will be around to answer any questions. This is an active workshop so bring your laptops and we'll bring the coffee!

*These classes are not only subject to fashion but that is our expertise. Service-based businesses are also welcome.

Virtual vs In-person. As we move back into in-person events, we will continue to take precautions. Students will have the ability to come to Harlem to attend classes. In order to make this as flexible as possible, students can decide on a week to week basis whether they would like to attend virtually or in-person. Both modes will be conducted at the same time. Class size will be limited to 5 people total.