Threads Stitched By Standard Bank

Threads is a 12-week accelerator program focused on the ' Business of Fashion '. The program will take 12 South African fashion entrepreneurs with proven business acumen into a program where they will learn everything they need to up their entrepreneur-game: from logistics to sourcing & manufacturing, via hiring & retaining employees. Through an academic approach combined with action learning and practical insights, the fashion entrepreneurs will be educated on key business principles - from financing to marketing and pricing to logistics handling - directly from business professionals and thought leaders. Through field trips across South Africa, the entrepreneurs will get exclusive access into the 'behind the scenes operations' of some of the countries' top creative businesses. At the end of the program, a panel of judges will select the best performing entrepreneur. The winning entrepreneur will spend 3 months engaging with press and acting as a guest speaker throughout business and fashion academic institutions. In June 2018, the winner will be taken to Milan on a trade trip for meetings with industry buyers, visits to relevant trade and fashion fairs and an internship with a renowned fashion business. The winner also gains a 'winners pack' to kick start his/her fashion business which includes a brand new Mercedes-Benz car for 1 year.