About Flanders Fashion Institute
Mission
Cléo Baele (Black Balloon) in ‘De Standaard’: “For many designers, it is not done to think about the commercial aspect, but how can you grow if you don’t? Creativity alone does not make your label work"
Every healthy fashion company is based on four pillars: creation, production, distribution and promotion. Starting fashion designers often hang on to the creative pillar and lack success on the business side. Flanders Fashion Institute was founded in 1998 to help designers acquire the necessary skills to manage these four aspects. FFI specifically supports projects that provide business skills, advice, access to professional networks and a promotional platform in the domestic and international market.
Team
Marie Delbeke Marie Delbeke, the youngest FFI team member, is very curious and drags her colleagues into the most ambitious adventures with her unstoppable enthusiasm! |
Agnes Wené Agnes -multitasking is her middle name- Wené juggles with multiple projects without any problem. She is creative with limited resources, knows all the right people and never let’s a day pass without laughing. |
Joyce Smet Joyce Smet has the memory of an elephant and is all-observant. With an unmatched precision, she leads the "cuisine interne" of the FFI in the right direction. |
Photography by Siska Vandecasteele
Make-up by Blonde Make-up
Guidance
Did you know that...
... a fashion boutique sells clothes for an average price that is a 2,6 fold of the purchase price?
... designers often work on different seasons simultaneously and therefore they need to have several agendas?
... fabric retailers always work with minimum quantities?
… there are employment agencies and websites specialized in fashion jobs?
Is this (partly) new information for you? Don’t panic! FFI provides several tools to help starting designers with professionalizing and structuring their career.
Do you want to work for an existing fashion company?
Visit the job platform www.modejobs.be for jobs in different fields once your portfolio and resume are up-to-date.
Are you ready to launch your own label? What product do you want to market? For whom? Through which channel?
To bring your business idea to life, it is important to bring your strategy in terms of creation, production, distribution and promotion to life by means of a business plan.
Having to write a business plan scares a lot of starting designers. FFI relieves the pain by offering a questionnaire and a table of contents. Those can serve as framework for the plan. To receive these documents, please contact Marie Delbeke.
Who will fund your label?
Once your business plan is finished, you can use it as a business card to contact financial and supportive institutions. The employees of FFI can refer you to the proper institution.
Who produces your label?
Belgian Designer Partners is a network of manufacturers in Belgium and abroad, brought together by Creamoda (in collaboration with Modo Brussels and FFI). These manufacturers are willing to work with starting designers, which means that they can produce small runs for flexible conditions. You can also turn to Belgian Outsourcing Partners, but only for bigger runs.
Who provides the visual identity of your label?
The Fashion Database of FFI unites the contact information of modeling agencies, photographers, hair and makeup artists, stylists, etc. who can help you with making a lookbook for the fashion press.
Do you still have questions or doubts? Contact Marie Delbeke to make an appointment.
