Vincentian designer completes Business & Law of Fashion Course

Vincentian Designer Kimya Glasgow has recently completed a two-month course on the Business & Law of Fashion held between April 20 and June 15.

The course was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through the Caribbean Regional Enterpreneurial Asset Commercialization Hub (REACH) Creative Industries Programme, which seeks to foster innovation and competitiveness in Caribbean Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by assisting companies in commercializing their intellectual assets.

The Business & Law of Fashion course was facilitated by Intellect Management Services Incorporated (IMS), a Barbadian consultancy firm, focused on all aspects of the creative industries, including Rights Management, Licensing & Commercialisation Strategies, Business plan design, Training and capacity building, Advisory services and Royalty rates determination.

The stated objective of the Business and Law course is “to build the commercialisation capabilities of 20 creative entrepreneurs  in fashion and design through training and mentorship which will  enhance their capacity to identify, manage and monetise their intellectual  property (IP) and creative content.”

Glasgow was selected, along with 21 other participants to take part in the programme, which was made up a series of live online sessions, conducted by international and regional experts in the fields of Business Law and the global and regional fashion industry.

The course content included Analysis of the current state of the Caribbean Fashion industry, the relevance of intellectual property to the Fashion industry, Branding, Protection of brands, Forecasting and trends, Supply and textile sourcing, Outsourcing, licensing, Product distribution, Technology and Fashion, Sustainable & Ethical Fashion, Business Plan development and Preparing an investment pitch. The course also included opportunities for online networking and knowledge sharing among participants.

Based on course participation and assessment of assignments, five of the participants were selected for one week of Face-to-Face business coaching in Barbados, with the opportunity to pitch their business plans to Angel investors at the end of the week.

Glasgow was chosen as one of the five participants selected for the Face to Face sessions to be held in Barbados, but ultimately was denied participation, due to St Vincent and the Grenadines’ non-membership status in the IDB.

According to Glasgow, “it is disappointing, as I felt I had worked hard to earn my space in the Face-to-Face coaching sessions. It would also have been a great opportunity to pitch my business and it is unfortunate that small island states like SVG don’t have access to that kind of support and funding, which is so very needed to grow innovative businesses. I do not regret my participation in the programme at all, as the knowledge gained was tremendous, and extremely relevant. I have made great connections and will continue to work towards my goals.”

Glasgow is also a current participant in the Caribbean Export We-Export programme, a business development programme that fosters empowering Caribbean women entrepreneurs through export.