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Photo courtesy of Art Hearts
Fashion Tech Works Opens New Coworking Space for Emerging Designers
Decerry Donato
Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.
For Cindy Keefer, CEO of Fashion Tech Works, sustainability has always been a way of life. The woman behind Downtown Los Angeles’ new coworking incubator for designers and artists grew up a far cry from Hollywood, on an organic farm in Wisconsin.
“I've been an environmentalist since I was born,” said Keefer, a vegetarian since childhood. “So for me, I never had a breakthrough moment.”
Sustainability is at the heart of Fashion Tech Works’ mission: The incubator is particularly interested in giving a home to designers and technologies “that improve the sustainability of apparel design and production,” according to its website.
“The passion is just so alive that I could actually change the trajectory of apparel manufacturing, to be sustainable and clean,” Keefer told dot.LA. “I want to be that hub for these young designers who want to make a difference,” Keefer said.
Earlier this month, the third floor of The New Mart in Downtown L.A. was bustling with designers and models preparing for Art Hearts Fashion, an annual Los Angeles Fashion Week event for local designers. Keefer partnered with Art Hearts to host a “fashion hub” that gave young talents the opportunity to network with brands like Doc Martens and Bellaria, as well as industry veterans like Condé Nast Latin America senior editor José Forteza.
Photo courtesy of Art Hearts
“There's a void in the fashion program in Los Angeles, especially,” Art Hearts founder Erik Rosete said. A designer and long-time attendee of fashion weeks in Milan and Paris, Rosete noticed L.A. Fashion Week’s lack of a space for people to meet designers and get a hands-on experience of the clothing being showcased on the runway.
“It was very natural and synergistic that the partnership happened, because it created the opportunity to fill the void in L.A. Fashion Week,” he told dot.LA.
In 2015, Keefer and her husband Tom hosted Melange, a fashion tech conference held at The New Mart. The panelists included Liz Heller of TOMS shoes, Ashley Crowder of VNTANA and Kristine Upsuleja of Madison Innovative Materials, whom Keefer considers innovators in the fashion space.
During the first five years after the Melange conference, Keefer and her husband laid the groundwork for their business and created strong relationships with founders of other fashion incubators like Arizona-based FABRIC. Keefer used the pandemic as an opportunity, accepting a small business grant from the government which she used to launch Fashion Tech Works.
What was once storage space for The New Mart is now Fashion Tech Works’ incubator and coworking space, equipped with a content creation studio, events spaces and private offices.
Among the designers who showcased their work at the Art Hearts Fashion Hub was Symone Carter, designer of Le Mo’ney and a member of Fashion Tech Works.
“I just needed to be somewhere where I can get creative and meet other creatives,” Carter said. “I stumbled upon Fashion Tech Works on Instagram, set up an appointment to do a walkthrough and fell in love with it that first day.”
Photo by Decerry Donato
Each designer is required to have a fashion degree to become a member. There are three different tiers: silver ($60 per month), which is a remote membership that has access to the space two days out of the week; gold ($95), which includes daily access to the building; and premium ($750), which provides the designer with a private office space, access to the content creation studio for six hours a month and an opportunity to showcase their line on the runway.
Designers who become Fashion Tech Works members will receive the support of both FABRIC and garment producer Lefty Production Co. and access to the ORB360 machine, a 3D photographic technology that offers a 360-degree view on models. Keefer said Fashion Tech Works is also collaborating with other companies that focus on photographic printing, digital layouts, and cutting; she did not name those companies but said partnerships will be announced soon as negotiations are being finalized.
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Decerry Donato
Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.
Evan Xie
L.A. Tech Week has brought venture capitalists, founders and entrepreneurs from around the world to the California coast. With so many tech nerds in one place, it's easy to laugh, joke and reminisce about the future of tech in SoCal.
Here's what people are saying about L.A. Tech Week on social:
Shots from last night at the @useintro x @a16z dinner to jumpstart LA Tech Week (hosted by me and @andrewchen) pic.twitter.com/86Va3KmCJ8
— Raad (@Raadmobrem) June 5, 2023
First #LATechWeek event @Techweek_ - @jpmorgan event
I learned about 8 new LA startups in just a few minutes. So much going on here!#LongLA
(Subscribe to the @dotLA newsletter to learn about LA tech!) pic.twitter.com/GQdAjmQse7
— Spencer Rascoff (@spencerrascoff) June 5, 2023
Who’s at LA Tech Week?! pic.twitter.com/m5rCugANRL
— Andrew Yeung (@andruyeung) June 5, 2023
Shoutout to VTAGZ’s CEO @bvatere for speaking at #LATechWeek and discussing the future of digital mar-tech. 20 years in the LA tech scene & still going strong 💪 https://t.co/7U8dnLDOwK
— VTAGZ (@vtagzlocker) June 5, 2023
Starting off #LATechWeek strong with a beach workout at the gorgeous Venice Beach with hosts @banklessvc and @benlakoff. ☀️🏋️ pic.twitter.com/iA9QESOWgq
— Tech Week (@Techweek_) June 5, 2023
Not messing around with #latechweek@trustfundvcpic.twitter.com/JsVnMF2aDg
— Sophia Amoruso (@sophiaamoruso) June 3, 2023
Spent an hour hacking w/ Saba, Shai, Zach, Ed. They shipped https://t.co/D1lONbMean
This will be a lot fun + winner gets a meeting with @draper_u
Sign up ⬇️ #LATechWeekhttps://t.co/mz5jfKIGuQ
— Suffiyan Malik (@suffiyanmalikk) June 5, 2023
Comparing #LATechWeek schedules feels like the week before high school starts and you see if you and your besties have any of the same classes
— Lili Montes (@lili_montes_) June 4, 2023
Kicking off #LATechWeek@SpringPlace@JeromeFogelLA#CiarraPardo@RealMatthewLowe#web3#blockchain#AI#sports#healthcare#innovation#data#security@rihanna@fentybeauty@SavageXFenty#FONpic.twitter.com/SQFQjRWWIp
— Apothēka Systems Inc. (@ApothekaInc) June 5, 2023
Welcome to #LATechWeek.
I hope you brought a warm jacket. pic.twitter.com/67ctZZ5tN8
— Ben Bergman (@thebenbergman) June 5, 2023
Continuing today's #LATechWeek with a breakfast meet alongside #JPMorgan bankers, founders, and investors.
Valuable discussions on the evolving #InnovationEconomy and banking trends. Connecting within the dynamic tech ecosystem! @Techweek_pic.twitter.com/pFbJfvkRlm
— Lucas Sojka (@USojka) June 5, 2023
Super excited to attend @mucker labs session at #latechweek on product led growth.
Thanks K& L Gates pic.twitter.com/8txgevwUAi
— CarDana (@CarDanaCo) June 5, 2023
Kicking off #LATechWeek by covering Technology & Storytelling for Social Good Panel for @dotLA with representatives from @GoldhirshFdn@9dotscommunity@laincubator@creative_acts@sabraarbas@StrikeDebtpic.twitter.com/1yvNVyHHEe
— Decerry Donato (@DecerryDonato) June 5, 2023
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Evan Xie
This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene.
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LA Hardtech: Local Talent Meets CEOs: Want to see robots in action? This hardtech event will showcase product demos and feature conversations about all things aircrafts, satellites, electric vehicles, robots and medical devices. June 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in El Segundo.
Technology and Storytelling for Social Good: LA2050 and Goldhirsh Foundation president Tara Roth will moderate a panel featuring Alexis Cabrera of 9 Dots, Laura Gonzalez of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), Sabra Williams of Creative Acts, and Paul Lanctot of The Debt Collective. Tickets are sold out, but stay tuned for dot.LA’s coverage of how technology can advance social good.
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AI &Music: The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am will join Google AI’s K Allado-McDowell, Never Before Heard Sounds’ Parag Mital and SOMMS.ai’s Matthew Adell to discuss how AI is changing music composition and production. June 6 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Hollywood.
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LA #TechWeek VC Kickoff Party: dot.LA executive chairman Spencer Rascoff’s venture fund 75 & Sunny is partnering with VC firm Crosscut to launch L.A. Tech week with music, drinks and networking. June 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Pacific Palisades.
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Hollywood Dream: Star in 3D Movie with Your Avatar, Rendered from Script with PentoPix: Storytellers from PentoPix, an AI video generator, will share their thoughts on how the new technology can change the film production process. Attendees can insert their own 3D avatar into a story created for the event. June 7 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Santa Monica.
THURSDAY
Aerospace Meets Climate Tech: Learn more about how climate tech is transforming the aerospace industry at this panel featuring the industry’s founders and investors. Get a look at how Arc Boats made an electric sport boat, tour the company’s production floor and hear from its team of former rocket scientists. June 8 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Los Angeles.
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FRIDAY
Sports in LA: Investing, Founding and Growing: Sports PR agency Athlete Strategies will host an event featuring founders, VCs and athletes sharing industry investment opportunities and trends. June 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Santa Monica.
Moonshot Thinking & Radical Solutions: Google and “X”—an innovation lab within Alphabet dedicated to building technology that will improve people’s lives—will discuss setting goals, fostering breakthroughs and redefining humanity. June 9 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Playa Vista.
The Closeout Event by Mantis VC and M13: Wrap up L.A. Tech Week with a night of networking. Join founders, VCs and investors at an event put on by The Chainsmokers’ Mantis VC and M13. June 9 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Santa Monica.
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Kristin Snyder
Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
https://twitter.com/ksnyder_db
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