Asos launches incubator for ethnic minority-owned brands

Online retailer Asos has teamed up with the (Fashion) Minority Report (FMR) to launch an inaugural incubator programme to aid ethnic minority-owned brands within the fashion industry.

‘ScaleUp’ was designed to address and remove the barriers faced by these businesses when it comes to accessing the fashion market and scaling up their operations.

Through the programme, two selected candidates will receive insight and guidance from industry experts, as well as wholesale opportunities including the launching a collection available on Asos and one year of mentorship from business leaders.

The businesses will also have the opportunity to pitch for up to 20,000 pounds of funding each to further support their growth.

Meanwhile, five additional emerging brands will also be onboarded into the programme, and provided with workshops, talks and the opportunity to showcase their brand as part of the February 2024 ScaleUp press and buyers showroom.

Applications will run up to July 9 and will then be reviewed by a panel of judges, including founder of FMR Daniel Peters, senior creative director at Asos Vanessa Spence and editor of Hypebae Navi Ahluwalia.

In a release, Peters said on the programme: “As any brand founder knows, the path to success in the fashion industry can often feel challenging, but as someone who is an ethnic minority, the barriers are often greater to break through.

“Through our partnership with Asos, we can’t wait to deliver a programme that provides opportunities, and the relevant building blocks for scalability to ethnic minority business owners.”