Securing a major retail partnership with a department store is the holy grail for many fashion designers. M80 sent over a unique opportunity for minority and women-owned businesses to learn how to do just that this spring during The Workshop at Macy’s. The Workshop is a four-day training course held at Macy’s Herald Square office in New York City open to 20 minority and women owned businesses.
The opportunity is part of the company’s Supplier Diversity Program. According to the MacysInc site, Macy’s is making efforts toward developing a diverse vendor network. In 2009, purchases from multicultural- and women-owned businesses totaled approximately $465 million.
In looking to increase that number, Macy’s has created a workshop that aims to to teach attendees to:
Applications are due February 11, 2011
(Good thing Macy’s is sticking to what they are good at, as they certainly don’t understand how to work with bloggers. Covering The Workshop came with the caveat of only being allowed to use a set of prescribed images that would then need to be taken down on 2/28 – what? I’m posting this only because the opportunity for independent designers outweighs the quibble I have with Macy’s “control issues.”)
