Kate Boggiano in the News

Fashion Chicago style

DREAM COME TRUE | New incubator at Macy's helps fledgling designers transition from school to career

March 10, 2008
BY SANDRA GUY

Six fashion designers moved into the new Chicago Fashion Incubator this weekend, eager to be part of the city's efforts to keep a future Coco Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld in the Windy City.

The 2,375-square-foot incubator's steamers, stitchers, cutting tables, sewing machines and the mentoring opportunities it provides inside Macy's State Street store are a dream come true for the designers, who represent a diversity of tastes and ethnicities.

The incubator, set up as a not-for-profit corporation, is designed to help fashion designers transition from school to career, said Andrea Schwartz, spokeswoman for Macy's.

The designers stay for a year and leave with a business plan, a marketing direction, production experience, and mentors' and store buyers' advice.

Macy's buyers will consider the collections for floor space in the store.

Wachowska said she looks forward to learning how to expand her business globally. She also welcomes moving into the new space, since Evil Kitty has overtaken the one-bedroom condo where she and her husband, music promoter Sean Duffy, live.

An executive director for the incubator will be announced today.

The business community has shown its support for the fashion incubator by providing legal help (Schiff Hardin), not-for-profit setup (Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center), remodeling (Pepper Construction), public relations (Fleishman-Hillard) and "day in the life" coverage (Comcast).

Macy's also has started purchasing established Chicago fashion designers' collections, rather than buying them on consignment. The switch means the designers no longer must eat their losses if their clothes don't sell.

The name "Boggiano" comes from Coxworth's Italian grandmother's maiden name to represent the Italian craftsmanship mixed with an American feel. Customers can "Create Your Own Blouse" by ordering custom-made blouses with a 10-day turnaround. Coxworth, a native of Chicago, earned a bachelor's in fashion design from Indiana University in 2003.