At FiSF, we are in the business of fashion.
We perform a specialized audit that determines areas of growth and opportunity for every designer in each cohort, and we pair our designers-in-residence with the strongest team of mentors to address their individual needs over the course of our intensive, results-driven program. At the end of each program, we host a graduation event –– attended by industry influencers, journalists, fashion enthusiasts, investors, and more –– that provides a forum for our designers to present their updated business plans, showcase product offerings, and build out their network, all to the broadest, most impactful audience possible.
HISTORY OF SUCCESS
In its 12 year history, FiSF has mentored designers, both close to home in San Francisco and across the globe, in our highly-selective Designer-in-Residence program.
Name: Diarra Bousso
Company: Diarrablu
Diarra Bousso, a Senegal-raised, Silicon Valley-based fashion designer is on a mission to weave sustainability into all aspects of the design and manufacturing process for her breakout brand, Diarrablu. A 2020 designer-in-Residence as FiSF as well as student of design and applied mathematics at Stanford, Bousso is interested in how to consciously merge traditional, artisanal processes with her background in algorithms and technology—all with the goal of reducing waste. Her bold, original, and made-to-order designs have regularly appeared in Vogue, as well as Forbes, Elle, and WWD.
Name: Stephanie Bodnar
Company: Evgenia
After moving to California after college in 2004, Stephanie Bodnar worked in a lace shop and a lingerie boutique while studying Fashion Design at FIDM, and that was precisely the moment her idea for a gorgeous, handmade line of fine lingerie was born. Launched in 2011, and later re-named after her maternal Ukrainian grandmother, Evengia is “lingerie for the modern heartbreaker” and her unique designs have been featured in Vogue, CNN, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Bodnar was accepted as a Designer-in-Residence at FiSF in 2014, an experience she regularly credits with helping her better steer the direction of her brand.
Name: Chrissie Lam
Company: Love Is Project
After quitting her corporate fashion job in New York City, 2020 FiSF Designer-in-Residence Chrissie Lam moved to Kenya, where she was introduced to the exceptional, intricate beadwork of the Masai tribe. Inspired, she launched the Love Is Project in 2012, which is a collection of beautiful, handmade bracelets that have been spotted on the wrists of everyone from Anne Hathaway to Brooke Shields. The company—which was also featured on Shark Tank in 2021— now employs over 2000 female artisans in ten countries, and provides fair wages, access to food, and schooling.
“After joining FiSF, my business completely transformed and my collections became tighter, more fashion-forward, and more marketable.”