NY's Rainbow Leather receives CFDA funds for prints, embossing
|January 30th, 2015
|9:00 AM
New York’s Rainbow Leather has been named an official recipient of the Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI), hosted by the CFDA. Rewarded for its innovative exploration of leather prints and embossing technologies, the family-run business is taking on the globe with its inspiring leather design service - one bestial paw at a time.
‘Your vision, our creation’ - that is
the essence of Rainbow Leather. Better still, it is the leather company’s
ambitious attitude and humble beginnings from a simple factory set up in
Queens, which has caught the attention of the industry professionals. Most
notably, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and its Fashion
Manufacturing Initiative (FMI).
CFDA's Fashion Manufacturing Initiative
(FMI) The FMI is a collaborative fund created
by the CFDA in collaboration with the New York City Economic Development
Corporation. The public-private program is designed to support local fashion
manufacturing by connecting suppliers with designer, thus promoting growth in
New York’s fashion sector. Worth some $3m in total, those companies who receive
any part of the million-dollar sponsorship trust are entitled to spend the
reward as they see fit. Most individual grants range from $25,000 to $150,000
and are spent on equipment and infrastructure upgrades, as well as workforce
training. The finance is essentially aimed at encouraging fashion businesses to
increase their corporate tent pegs. In turn, the CFDA helps New Yorkers by
generating economic growth through the creation and preservation of jobs within
the city’s fashion industry. And after just two rounds, the FMI has already
granted over $1.1m to 13 production facilities, Rainbow Leather among
them.
Rainbow Leather
Originally founded by Sam Lipson in the
suburbs of New York, the Rainbow Leather has been at the head of its game for
some 25 years now. Rainbow Leather is today run by Sam’s son, Richard.
According to Richard, his father’s business is the only remaining printing and
embossing operation of its kind in the US that offers such diversity of
product.From exotic leopard and python materials to embossed polka-dot and
paisley patterns, designers can really take their pick when it comes to
sourcing collection materials. Rainbow do not tan their own products, instead
working on finished leathers bought from suppliers around the world.
Some of their best-looking leather
pieces include cheetah jungle print on tan cow; water snake with gunmetal
scales on black pig suede; and gold oval cobra on brown burlap, seen here.
Materials in this article
Gold Oval Cobra on Brown Burlap
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Rainbow’s manufacturing facility isn’t
exactly high-tech with some of their machinery dating back some 70 years ago.
But their old-school approach is unique and this is how the natural beauty ebbs
and flows over their work. With design ingenuity, Rainbow prints out a variety
of patterns on both leathers and non-leather materials, such as cork and fabric
- the wildly cut prints laying across fashion and footwear, accessories and
furniture. Rainbow’s designs even come custom-made, with the company’s product
development team working one-on-one with clients to create bizarre and
beautiful fabrics for those yet-to-made collections.
Finally, people are the fabric of
Rainbow Leather, which makes them perfect recipients of the FMI grant. The
company’s staff are very unique and specialized, says Richard. Each one of
Rainbow’s ten employees has a strong knowledge of consumer behaviour and boast
design skills to match, meaning they “never miss a beat when it comes to
fashion trends,” he says.
Rainbow Leather are true industrial
leaders. Their flexible turnaround times and no minimum order requirements have
all contributed to Rainbow’s longevity in an increasingly competitive and
volatile business. They are constantly pushing boundaries yet maintain an
excellent reputation. And this looks to continue with their recently opened
studio showroom, located in middle of Manhattan on 8th Avenue, adding to their
winning efforts with the CFDA.
FMI Recipients & Supporters
As well as Rainbow Leather's win
for leather printing and embossing, the following design companies received funding as part of the second-round FMI:
Design Incubator
– sample and product development
Dye-Namix – fabric dyeing
Painting and
Printing Dynotex – full-service garment production
New York
Embroidery Studio – full-service embellishment
Oomaru
Seisakusho 2 – product development
Sunrise Studio – high-end sample and production contractor
According to a statement of the
CFDA website, each were selected from a pool of 37 applicants through a strict
process of evaluation conducted by a panel. Judges include Andrew Rosen of
Theory; Steven Kolb of CFDA; Steven Alan; Robert Savage of Nanette Lepore; rag
& bone’s Marcus Wainwright, Don Baum of Ralph Lauren and Alice + Olivia’s
Stacey Eisner Bendet.
All the FMI money comes from private
and public funding. Leather goods maker Coach and the brand’s Coach Foundation
is new to the system, pledging $500,000 to FMI. Coach serves as a Premier
Underwriter of the program alongside New York native Ralph Lauren, who pledged
$500,000 back in 2013. Internet giant Google has also joined the swarm of
corporate sponsorship, committing $25,000 to the program, while partner Andrew
Rosen has pledged $500,000 to join with the luxury brands.
Meanwhile, with Coach’s recent
involvement in the program, the FMI will expand its operations to accessory and
leather goods production and associated suppliers. And Victor Luis, Chief
Executive Officer of Coach, will also join the FMI Selection Committee, the
CFDA said on its website.