FABRIC, Fashion and Business Resource Innovation Center, is upgrading to a newly renovated facility in Tempe that will allow it to expand to become the first “phygital” fashion innovation in the U.S.
The award-winning non-profit has provided 1,000 apparel entrepreneurs and brands with guidance and access to small-batch manufacturing. This is done by providing aspiring designers with the tools needed to develop their vision.
Formerly located at Tempe Performing Arts Center, the new facility will allow FABRIC to lean into the latest technology to strengthen its digital design and high-tech capabilities. The newly renovated space will provide more public visibility and encourages pedestrians to peer in to experience the future of fashion in real time.
The new facility will offer a variety of manufacturing tools that can create pieces, such as tops, bottoms, medical devices and more. In addition to creating small-batches, FABRIC offers designers with educational courses, including seam types and textiles to 3D design and manufacturing.
The space will consist of a physical design and manufacturing floor as well as a space for the nation’s first physical-to-digital fashion incubators and micro-factory that supports brands of any size. This new advanced technology aims to provide everything an apparel entrepreneur needs to make and sell their products physically and digitally.
FABRIC’s new facility in Downtown Tempe
“FABRIC Tempe’s Phygital Innovation Center will provide the fashion industry a place to gather, test, collaborate, share, and innovate new ways to create and sell fashion. It will continue to establish Arizona as a fashion technology trendsetter and leader in moving the needle toward a sustainable future for our industry,” says Sherri Barry, FABRIC’s co-founder and fashion tech expert.
The city of Tempe partnered with FABRIC to support 1,000 apparel entrepreneurs providing them over seven million dollars in free and discounted programs and services in an effort to make starting a fashion brand more affordable.
On April 22, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., FABRIC will celebrate its new location through hosting a VIP Grand Opening event called “Moving The Needle,” where attendees will witness the unveiling of the new facility. Guests can purchase a $200 founder’s ticket or donate more than $200 and their name will be recognized on a brick wall to inaugurate the building.
Check out the new location of FABRIC beginning April 23 at 117 E. 5th Street, Suite 101 in Downtown Tempe. Schedule a studio tour at this link.
Photos courtesy FABRIC
