The Indigenous Fashion Support (IFS) Program is Now Accepting Applications!
Are you an Indigenous entrepreneur looking to build a business in the fashion industry? Welcome to the IFS Program!
January 18, 2021
About The IFS Program
Through the program, you will:
- Work with Indigenous mentors and industry advisors to get support in business development
- Meet like-minded creatives
- Discover and develop ideas
- Validate ideas through research and data-driven decision making
- Develop or refine a minimum viable product (MVP)
- Establish go-to-market strategies
- Gain exposure to industry-standard prototyping and design tools and equipment
- Access workshops and programming on marketing, sales, and pitching, through the IFS, Fashion Zone, Creative Innovation Studio (CIS) and across the Zone Learning community at Ryerson University
Program Timeline
Cohort II recruitment begins on January 15, 2021. The cohort will start on March 1, 2021. At the end of the program, participants will pitch to a panel of experts to request to stay in the program or graduate and receive a certificate of completion. A full program timeline is below:
Application window: January 15 - February 12, 2021
Program start date: March 1, 2021
Program end date: June 17, 2021
Program duration: 16 weeks
Participant Requirements
To participate in the IFS program, applicants should:
- be Canadian Aboriginal (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) or Indigenous from elsewhere residing in Canada, to be verified by the program’s Indigenous mentors.
- have an interest in entrepreneurship or a business idea/innovative solution
- submit a complete and qualifying application form
- be available during the length of this program
- have the ability to work on their project for 10 - 15 hours per week
- participate in mandatory scheduled meetings and virtual workshops
Apply to The IFS Program
Creative, Indigenous-led Ideas and Businesses.