Fashion Incubator SF designers Bethany Meuleners, Paloma Von Broadley, Sabah Mansoor Husain, Justin Jamison, Tony Sananikone and Tamara Jaric.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown stopped by the opening celebration to chat with designers and view the space.

SF Board of Supervisors President David Chiu helps Fashion Incubator SF's inaugural group unzip its ribbon, instead of the traditional cutting.

Spotted at last week’s launch event for Fashion Incubator SF: everyone from Former Mayor Willie Brown to designers such as Zoe Hong, Joseph Domingo and the gr.dano team to media notables such as 7×7 President Todd Sotkiewicz and the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Anastasia Hendrix.

While much has been written about the new initiative that now calls the 7th floor of the Macy’s Union Square men’s building home (including coverage by yours truly), the launch event gave the considerable crowd that gathered a first look at the space, which includes offices for each designer, a classroom and a communal workroom with cutting tables, dressforms and machines.

“Fashion is an industry that used to be very significant here in San Francisco. In fact, beside tourism, it used to be the number two industry here in the City. And it’s my hope that the work that we are doing with Fashion SF and the work that these young people will be doing will help to make sure that we bring that business for the future,” Board of Supervisors President David Chiu told the crowd.

The program, a non-profit modeled after similar incubators in Toronto and Chicago, offers six emerging designers 12 months of workspace, classes, networking and career development opportunities. Designers tapped for the program’s inaugural year in San Francisco are Bethany Meuleners, Paloma Von Broadley, Sabah Mansoor Husain, Justin Jamison, Tony Sananikone and Tamara Jaric.

Photography courtesy Fashion Incubator SF

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