Saint Louis Fashion Fund Gets a New Home

The Saint Louis Fashion Fund is getting a new home inside the latest venture from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation: 3333 Washington Avenue, a historic building, owned and operated by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation in Grand Center Arts District.

SLFF Board Chair, Madeline Akins says, "We had been reassessing the Fund's priorities before the Covid pandemic hit in March and had already started looking for a smaller space as the mission of the Fund has evolved and no longer requires a large facility. The ‘3333’ building is a perfect fit and only a few blocks away from our original headquarters in the Garment District. We are looking forward to being a part of this walkable, engaging arts and cultural district."

The Fashion Fund remains committed to its core mission of revitalizing the downtown Garment District and attracting new businesses to help build out the fashion eco-system in St. Louis. One of the Fund's major accomplishments this year – with a heavy assist from Fashion Fund’s Co-Founder Susan Sherman - was attracting Evolution St. Louis, a premier high-tech knitting manufacturer, to Downtown. “Our new facility will make us almost next-door neighbors to Evolution, and we look forward to working closely with their cutting-edge team in the new year,” Sherman said.

The new 1,000 square foot space offers a stunning storefront studio that will not only showcase the Fund’s new fashion forward programming, but also will enable them to rub shoulders and collaborate with some of the community's most innovative arts and cultural organizations housed under the same roof.

"We are thrilled to welcome fashion to Grand Center! Our Kranzberg family including my wife, Nancy, and our daughter, Mary Ann, and her husband, Andy Srenco, have supported Saint Louis Fashion Fund since its founding in 2014. We know fashion is an economic driver, but it also is an art form, so Grand Center is the perfect place for them to land and to continue their important work for our City and the region,” said Ken Kranzberg, Trustee, Kranzberg Arts Foundation.

Currently underway, the Fashion Fund's space is undergoing a complete interior renovation and is scheduled for completion by summer, 2021.