RAGTRADE ATLANTA / Atlanta Fashion Week Selected to Join the Council of Fashion Designers of America CFDA Connects Program
NEW YORK, April 15, 2021 – The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is pleased to announce the launch of CFDA Connects, a programming network that supports regional fashion weeks and organizations. Furthering CFDA’s mission to strengthen the impact of American fashion in a global economy, CFDA Connects was created to skill share and connects domestic markets and the pulse of the American and global fashion industries through CFDA resources including professional and business development and education, trade events, supply chain and local manufacturing, social impact and sustainability.
CFDA Connects launches with ten regional organizations across the U.S.: Columbus Fashion Council, Dayton Emerging Fashion Incubator, Hawaii Fashion Week, Indiana Fashion Foundation, Kansas City Fashion Week, Miami Fashion Week, Philadelphia Fashion Week, RAGTRADE ATLANTA / Atlanta Fashion Week, Saint Louis Fashion Fund, and Texas Fashion Industry Initiative.
CFDA Connects will serve its regional market members by providing access to CFDA’s digital home of the American collections, RUNWAY360, expanding these territories’ reach through amplification and promotion, and centralizing design talent across the country for discovery and industry support.
“Our organization serves the whole American fashion industry—all 50 states—and we are excited that CFDA Connects will collectively bond our industry and affiliates with the diverse and burgeoning small businesses that make up our country’s economy,” said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. “The symbiotic relationships will generate mutual support opportunities serving to everyone’s benefit, and the larger we grow our network, the stronger the American fashion industry becomes.”
To further foster industry community and fellowship, CFDA executives will meet regularly with representatives from each regional organization to form a working collective of executive directors and founders
with roundtables, discussions, trainings, and development to amplify, expand, increase and strengthen our member organizations and the markets they serve.
For more information, visit www.CFDA.com/Designers/Programs/Connects
ABOUT THE CFDA
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA) is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 1962 with a membership of 477 of America’s foremost womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessory designers. Pillars include Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through the IMPACT initiative, as well as Sustainability in Fashion. The organization provides its Members with timely and relevant thought-leadership and business development support. Emerging designers and students are supported through professional development programming and numerous grant and scholarship opportunities. In addition to hosting the annual CFDA Fashion Awards, the organization owns the Fashion Calendar, is the organizer of the American Collections Calendar, and recently launched RUNWAY360. The CFDA Foundation, Inc. is a separate, not-for-profit organized to mobilize the membership to raise funds for charitable causes and engage in civic initiatives.