DELOITTE SINGAPORE JOINS TEXTILE AND FASHION FEDERATION’S THE BRIDGE FASHION INNOVATOR PROGRAMME AS KNOWLEDGE PARTNER 

The partnership strengthens the programme where fashion and lifestyle start-ups are trained to be market-ready in 8 weeks

SINGAPORE, Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — An initiative by the Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF), The Bridge Fashion Innovator (TBFI) is an eight-week programme that puts fashion and lifestyle industry start-ups through a series of modules to get them market-ready, both locally and beyond Singapore shores. Deloitte Singapore (Deloitte) comes on board as Knowledge Partner for The Bridge Fashion Innovator (TBFI) programme, adding their expertise to the programme’s rich network of experienced panellists.

As part of the programme, Deloitte experts will be key speakers in the modules, focusing on:

• Customer segment identification
• The industry landscape in Singapore and globally
• Market trends and business strategies, including strategies around sustainability and climate change

Charles Ling, Ph.D, Senior Director of the TBFI programme said, “The demands placed on the fashion and lifestyle industry today are unprecedented, requiring new approaches that blend creativity and dexterity, address form and function, integrate commerce anywhere and identify innovation everywhere.”

James Walton, Clients & Markets Leader, Deloitte Singapore said: “We are delighted to be part of TBFI. Start-up companies are brimming with innovative potential, and Deloitte’s professional services and industry expertise can help these companies unlock this potential and capture the opportunities in the local, regional and global marketplace.”

The sixth and latest cohort of TBFI, concluded the programme on 12 August 2022. The participants represented a diverse mix of start-ups in the fashion and lifestyle industry, including those specialising in technology, sustainability, supply chain and biotech solutions for the sectors.

A participant in this latest cohort was Ken Low, founder of Pentron Global, a company that specialises in handcrafted luxury leather bags. On why he joined the programme, he shares that, “I have been a businessman for many years, but have always figured things out along the way, through trial and error. For this new part of my business, I wanted to get a clear direction and approach, by learning new concepts and frameworks that I have not been exposed to before, as well as guidance from the mentors and TBFI team, before charging ahead.”

On how the programme has benefited him, Ken said that it “has allowed me to learn a lot of new things, [such as] keeping an open mind.” He also “absorbed as much as [he] can from the modules such as lean canvas, technology, and social media etc. The Design Thinking Consultation sessions with the subject matter expert mentor and design thinking coach, have especially helped me. Under their guidance and the structure of the design thinking framework, I have been able to identify potential problems and think of solutions to solve them before they happen. By being customer focused and using the data generated from user interviews, I can better understand my customers pain points and the direction my business must go to meet their needs.”

Participants in the TBFI programme can expect to go through modules where they learn to build lean canvas for their businesses, an approach that helps start-ups to quickly outline their ideas and check its robustness. From there, they will complete other modules ranging across technology, soft skills, sustainability, branding, merchandising, digital marketing and analytics. They will also have one-on-one sessions with specialist mentors, based on a systematic and structured design thinking methodology, for in-depth advice to refine their solutions and approach. In addition, participants are exposed to TBFI’s innovation community  and network to give them the opportunity to further generate impact and growth rate.

For interested parties, the application to join TBFI’s next Cohort 7 is now open, and for more information, please visit www.tbfi.asia. The next cohort will run from 26 September to 25 November 2022, and applications close 31 August.