PRJCT 428's proprietary 4 Step Program is constructed for designers to reduce the capital risks and challenges associated with bringing a fashion collection to market. Our program supports young and new fashion designers by accelerating all four stages of developing their collections from sample design, fashion presentation/show, production, and sales. Experienced designers, including those that graduate from our program, can provide ecommerce pre-orders of their collections along with readily available pieces for consumers on the PRJCT 428 Marketplace.
PRJCT 428 was conceived over the course of a casual dinner in the West Village of New York. It was a simple meeting between two friends. The idea of PRJCT 428 was only brought up after various discussions regarding action figures, film, and how excited they were that so many of their peers had started their own brands.
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
These two friends, who both graduated from Parsons School of Design, spoke wildly of what the fashion industry could be, and how brilliant it would be for there to be a space for young designers to be the purest version of themselves. They laughed and were amused by the daydream of it. But slowly, over time, and more movies, food, and gatherings, the idea of it was shared amongst recent graduates, again and again. It became increasingly clear that perhaps PRJCT 428 was more than a fantasy, but a real need IRL. We began to work towards that reality.
PRJCT connects high potential young fashion designers with resources, buyers, and consumers to foster the growth of emerging talent. The future of fashion lies in the hands of fresh talent and emerging designers. Through our programs, PRJCT 428 supports designers with resources such as sample developers and manufacturer resources. PRJCT 428 aims to guide designers with goal-oriented stages, from the development of their designs to production to sales.
We are happy to share not only our aspirations but also our reality -
In the Spring of 2016, a group of young creative designers from Parsons worked individually on their thesis collections out of classroom 428. Classroom 428 became a memorable and meaningful place in time for all of those who worked inside of it. None of them who chose to work in Classroom 428 were friends to begin with. However, they soon realized how easily and readily they had understood each other’s creative visions and processes. They began providing each other open praise and critique. In an honest and supportive feedback loop, they helped each other complete their thesis collections. By the end of the week, the designers felt they were bonded by the time they had spent together, and many felt these experiences weighted far greater than those from a traditional classroom. We wish to provide that same sense of community, engagement, and communication felt in classroom 428, in order to support the growth of talented fashion designers.