Sales representatives from a variety of fashion businesses demonstrated to the NYU community the possibilities in fashion entrepreneurship at an event hosted by the CAS Entrepreneurship Association on April 3.
The Fashion Startup Bazaar took place in the Grand Hall at the Kimmel Center for University Life.
Chris Aston, organizer of the bazaar and vice president of marketing and public relations in CASEA, said the idea behind the event was to show students that fashion can be innovative.
“A lot of people hear ‘entrepreneurship’ and think ‘tech,’ but there’s this side of the fashion industry, too,” Aston said.
Another main goal of the event, Aston said, was to allow students to network and speak with people in the industry about future job positions.
Booths throughout the hall featured products including jewelry, eyewear, clothing, handbags and other items available for purchase.
One of the companies, OGO, advertised its fashion luxury brand. With a mission to celebrate women’s beauty, their proceeds go to helping girls in Liberia who are affected by sex traffic. Ogo Ekweozor, owner and creative director of OGO, said the brand assists girls with getting into schools and improving their lifestyles.
“That’s where our heart is, and that’s our passion,” Ekweozor said.
The company launched a fashion school for women interested in creating their own companies in the fashion industry.
Another clothing company, CATID, was represented at the bazaar, focusing on t-shirts made from second-hand or vintage items found in New York. When purchasing a CATID T-shirt, customers also receive handwritten tags listing previous owners of the elements that make up the shirt. The products are made in New York and are focused on the connectivity to the city.
One business that attracted students interested in both fashion and technology was PterofractylArt, a 3-D keychain printing company. Rebecca Hillegrass, the founder of PterofractylArt, got started in the industry because she wanted to print chocolate, but altered her focus to jewelry and keychains. Through the PterofractylArt website, people can order custom-made jewelry along with keychains. Necklaces run from $10 to $20 and keychains are all $5 each.
Dharma Eyewear is a company that sells different styles of eyewear for $99, including prescription lenses. The company started a year ago and they donate proceeds to Optometry Giving Sight, an organization that aims to prevent blindness.
CASEA presented the NYU community with an array of up-and-coming businesses, providing students with a look at what’s to come in the fashion industry.
Maggie O’Neill is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].
