Designer Kelly Shaw turns to crowd funding

Former Graduate Fashion Week winner Kelly Shaw is using crowd funding site Sponsume.com to help finance her spring 14 collection. Shaw, who won the womenswear award in 2007, has turned to crowd funding to source her next collection

due to being unable to secure funding via banks or private backers.

In her Sponsume statement, Shaw says that even with orders already coming in for next year the main problem for new fashion businesses is “cash flow”, adding that “It’s a case of always being one step behind as there is never enough money left to fund both new orders and design next season's collection”.

The designer, known for her bold statement collections, has currently raised just under half of her 4,800 pound target, and only has until June 26 to generate the remainder. The money raised, along with Shaw’s own contributions, would go towards fabric lining, a first sample production, screen printing and a photo shoot.

Former Graduate Fashion Winner crowd funds collection

The collection, which is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion’, will consist of 12 looks – five day to evening dresses, two jersey slogan dresses, a skirt, a top, a pair of shorts, and for the first time two slogan T-shirts.

Additionally, Shaw has also been approached by activist and filmmaker Leah Borromeo, who wants to document her journey to try and transform the brand into an ethical one, by sourcing ethical and sustainable fabric suppliers and manufacturers.

To reward backers Shaw is offering up personal hand written notes, inspiration pages from her collections, signed original pencil work sketches of her designs, as well as limited edition T-shirts and a piece from her Spring/Summer 2013 collection dependent on how much you donate to her project.

In her Sponsume pitch, Shaw says: “I am totally obsessed with my work. Everyone I know will tell you that they haven’t seen me for months because I am chained to my sewing machine!

“I hope that you want to join me in this process of building a grass roots brand from nothing, to do something iconic. It’s very difficult to start from scratch in such a corporate world but I have the passion and determination to break through.”

Shaw launched her womenswear label in 2011 and her Spring/Summer 2013 collection is currently stocked on online retailer Young British Designers, with retail prices ranging from 160 to 450 pounds.