For decades, the global fashion industry has been plagued by inefficient and wasteful processes. A few Arizona fashion reformers are working to change that.
In 2016, Angela Johnson, an eco-friendly clothing designer, and Sherri Barry, a former design entrepreneur and executive, founded FABRIC, a non-profit fashion incubator to create a reliable resource for emerging designers.
Johnson and Barry are advancing apparel manufacturing in the state with sustainability in mind through a comprehensive digital road map to production, no-minimum manufacturing, fashion classes and programs and more.
Watch the FABRIC and The Fashioneer video below
“For decades, Arizona has been the best-kept secret as an ideal place to live and work due to its affordability, business-friendly environment, and plentiful job market,” Johnson said. “Bordering Mexico and California makes Arizona an ideal location for disruption of many industries, and particularly for an innovative, tech-based, sustainable version of the fashion industry.”
Since 2016, FABRIC has supported more than 800 apparel entrepreneurs and provided over $6.7 million in free and discounted programs and services to the community.
“I think what we’ve been able to do at FABRIC is create something really unique,” said Sherri Barry. “There are wraparound services for going from idea for a fashion brand to being able to have a scalable company. We continue to solve the problems in the fashion industry, it has led us down a path where we’ve been able to create a model that now big brands in the industry are looking to use and replicate.”
In addition to FABRIC, Barry launched The Fashioneer in 2021 to help designers with production. The facility’s state-of-the-art printing technology allows brands to create customizable fashion with sustainability in mind.
FABRIC is just one innovator that’s part of Arizona’s dynamic fashion landscape. Others include Bespoke Manufacturing Company (BMC), The Fashioneer, the Arizona Costume Institute, Arizona Sustainable Apparel Association and Wow Studios.
