By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FASHION DISTRICT — Fashion icon Diane Von Furstenberg unveiled the “Fashion Incubator" on Wednesday, a building in the heart of the Garment District that will provide low-cost workspace to a select group of young designers.
A selection committee and advisory board made up of fashion industry experts hand-picked 12 young designers and offered them studios for below-market rents, ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 per month.
"It's just a bigger space," said women's wear designer Alice Ritter, who had been working out of her Williamsburg apartment until moving into the studio at 209 W. 38th Street on Wednesday. "I can spread out, be a little bit more messy and it's great!"
Von Furstenberg, in her role as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, teamed up with Seth Pinsky of the New York City Economic Development Corporation to open the Incubator.
"We've got a place for young designers to come and to work with each other, to exchange ideas, to be nurtured and then to grow their creative concepts into buyable businesses, and that really is what our goal is," Pinsky said.
