Fashconnects

The fashion market is a $2.5 trillion global industry. ​The industry encompasses everything from manufacturing textile to apparel and working with wholesalers and retailers.  It employs over 1.9 million people in the U.S. The impacts of technology and globalization have created opportunities for more creative jobs in social media marketing, advanced production, and design just to name a few. 

Stepping foot into the world of fashion has always been tough. The saying, "Its all about who you know", still carries weight as an important factor to growing in your fashion career. 

Here's the problem:

• Fashion professionals want to grow their careers but don't have access to the right tools and connections to get there

• We attend expensive one-day networking events/conferences, with hopes of getting a referral or making a new connection but fall short

• We use LinkedIn as a resource to reach out to individuals, but oftentimes our messages go unanswered

• We want to commit to professional development workshops or courses, but they aren't easily accessible

Fashconnects solves this problem by:

1. Providing a space for fashion professionals to grow, through fostering both personal and professional development
2. Committing to making networking easy and fun, through cultivating meaningful relationships and engaging conversations
3. Creating an empowering support group that thrives on motivating each other to accomplish our goals.

Impact So Far

In the first 6 months of launching our social community, we've held 6 live streaming events that have brought together nearly 350 people! We have partnered with industry experts who shared knowledge on important topics like: what it's like being black in corporate,  finding a remote job during Covid-19, navigating the fashion industry, coping with microaggressions, using your network to grow in your career, and asking for more money at work.  These collaborations and inspiring advice have made a lasting impact on our community.

Aside from this, we offer helpful resources and guides through our newsletter. Click here to download our Virtual Interviews and Manifesting your Dream Job guide! 

Growing Fashconnects

Growing Fashconnects is going to be a collaborative effort. We want to offer an accessible web-based app that will serve as our brave space to connect, collaborate, and grow.  This will allow us to bring even more impactful conversations to the table. With our app-based solution we plan on providing a nurturing and engaging space to empower our members to share knowledge, speak on experiences, and gain helpful resources. We recognize the need of creating safe spaces for underrepresented women beyond our local communities and we're excited to expand our reach and bring this network of support to those who might not live in NYC.

Why Crowdfunding? 

There are increasingly huge barriers creating limited access to capital for women of color due to systematic disparities. Women of color account for 50% of all women-owned businesses and generated $422 billion in revenue in 2019, but yet only receive less than 1% in VC funding.  As a minority,  we are subject to working twice as hard for everything we have. Our founder has self- funded her entire business. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, she got furloughed from her job and has been dedicating her time to take Fashconnects to the next level.  We hope to gain additional support to bring this vision to life. 

Crowdfunding is a way to call upon our community and allies in order to assist in this vital part of our business developments.  We want to continue to fuel the mission and movement by bringing on the talent that will best support us.  The funds raised will help support the hiring of underrepresented talent, to create this platform for you. 

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US?

1. Contribute what you can- we encourage you to purchase one of the rewards, which starts at $25.
2. Sign up for our newsletter! You'll get bi-weekly resources and updates to help you thrive in your career!
3. Share our campaign with your friends on social media or word of mouth! You can follow our journey on Instagram!

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER, CHANTAL JOSEPH

Chantal moved to NYC from Miami at the age of 20, in pursuit of her MBA. She was the first in her family to graduate with not only a high school diploma but a Bachelor's and Master's degree. She felt she had accomplished something great. The sad reality was, it took her an entire year to find an entry-level job post graduation. She always had a strong passion for fashion but didn't know how to get her foot in the door. She had zero connections and limited experience.

She carries over 7+ years of experience in the industry, specializing in merchandise buying and planning. Chantal struggled with finding mentorship and making the right connections to navigate her career,  which is why she created Fashconnects. She is passionate about helping fashion professionals, grow in their careers, and make lasting connections. Her voice is used to empower and uplift women of color to pursue their purpose and not give up. 

Thank you for coming along this journey and for supporting us! We can't wait to launch this exciting platform!

If you have questions or like to leave us a note, send an email to [email protected]