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Increased profits, expanded distribution and a better understanding of their business are some of the benefits experienced by members of the Value Chain Investment Programme (VCIP) run by Fashion TT. At a recent media conference held by the entity, three designers who were involved in the 2017/2018 cohort shared their experiences with the programme.

The VCIP is a four-tier, five-year programme which offers various opportunities to fashion designers and others in the fashion industry. The four tiers are Future Support, for aspiring and entry level designers; Business Advisory and Financing, carried out in partnership with the National Entrepreneurship Development Company (NEDCO); the Non-Global Value Chain, where expert consultancy support is provided; and the Global Value Chain, where, in addition to expert consultancy support, assistance will be provided to the designers to attend trade shows and missions, and direct meetings with potential buyers and suppliers.
Designers Ecliff Elie, Jinelle Forde of J Angelique and Asha and Ayana Diaz of Wadada Movement were all enthusiastic about the benefits of being involved in the VCIP. They said the most valuable resource they gained was the service of a personal consultant, who kept them accountable and pushed them to consider aspects of their business they had never thought of or had neglected. Elie, who began with the Non-GVC Tier and was promoted to the GVC tier after the first year of the programme, said it helped him to expand his business. “What the program did was, it gave me the self-confidence to look at my business on paper, because being a creative person, you don’t take time to study figures or study what is completely important, you just want to create and design. Sometimes we don’t know the value of our work, we don’t know how to charge and that’s one of the things the programme was able to do, help us know how to price our items, how to get a return on investment, etc. The consultant called every month from New York. I’ve seen my business double and multiply. I’ve been in the business for 28 years, and I admire and appreciate having a physical person to call and hold my hand, he cared about my progress.”
Forde, whose brand caters to the lifestyle of the modern diva, said the process was a grueling one, beginning at the interview stage. “I was impressed with the interview process. From there it was monthly check-ins on what your business was doing, what are your future plans, things you put on the back burner they said were brilliant ideas. They basically help you put your business in perspective and made you answer questions and it puts you in a position where you could be home lying down and your business could be running and you can have a strong business structure that lasts for decades after you have gone.”
The Diaz sisters said they have seen a vast improvement in all aspects of their business. “We had never assigned a true value to our products, but now we do. Our numbers are actually going up considerably and we’re keeping track of them. We used to have dry periods but now we have new ideas, not just Wadada’s clothing but our lifestyle brand as well, which has been a really good beginning for us. They put us on a path to focus on our numbers, to see where it could actually make money for us. Before, it was just a hobby, a passion. Our New York based consultant was great, every month she’s on us, she wants numbers, she says why didn’t you hit this, and gives us ideas.”
Fashion TT Chairman Jason Lindsay said 103 designers have been enrolled in the 2018/2019 cohort. Each designer was interviewed by a panel of local and international fashion industry experts and scored based on product quality, marketing experience, brand presence, brand story/relevance, consumer knowledge, marketing strategy, sales capability/processes, equipment/operational capabilities, commercial viability, design know-how and capabilities, export production capacity, retail understanding, general management, financial compliance and financial health. They were then assigned to each tier, with three for the Global Value Chain, 10 for the Non-Global Value Chain, 40 for the Business Advisory and Financing tier and 50 for the Future Support Training.
Fashion TT General Manager Lisa-Marie Daniel said an open call is advertised for designers annually, with the next call being scheduled for mid-2019. For more information on the Value Chain Investment programme visit http://www.fashiontt.co.tt/VCIP or follow FashionTT’s social media pages, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.