Fashion bootcamp boosts Jordan’s creative startups

AMMAN — A training bootcamp aimed at supporting local designers and fashion creators was conducted last week, as part of the creative design incubator Dezain Space in collaboration with the EU-funded Jordanian Action for the Development of Enterprises (JADE) project.

Twenty five local start-ups underwent an intensive five-day training, where they learned about a variety of topics ranging from business establishment to attracting investment.

“This bootcamp demonstrates the impact we can have in developing startups in Jordan and the thirst for such services in the creative industries. We’re continuing our support to startups with a number selected for incubation services — who are now part of our community,” said Dezain Space Managing Director Sima Najjar, who is also a specialist in fashion, technology and social development.

“We offer them a space to work, business support, mentorship, networking and access to investment critical for upcoming designers to grow, scale, and create an international footprint through sales and exposure,” she told The Jordan Times after the bootcamp.

Launched in January 2018, Dezain Space began after Najjar and entrepreneurs Rasha Barakat and Shamekh Bluwi realised the need for creative start ups to receive “the same push that their peers in the IT sector received from incubators in Jordan”.

One of the first platforms available for designers to develop their marketing, creative and financial skills, Dezain Space is supported by Zain Innovation Campus (ZINC) and Zain, and aims to enable talented and creative youth to turn their ideas into productive projects through various training and workshops, according to its website.

“One of the main purposes of the bootcamp is to help unleash each designer’s potential. It is a highly competitive industry, and, in order to make it, you need to have an interesting product with an unmatched quality,” explained creative director, Shamekh Bluwi, adding: “We encourage the designers to tweak their products, test them and sell them to know for a fact that they have what it takes to be a successful brand with a scalable business plan.”

“What surprised us and it’s something we’ve found out after the first bootcamp was over, is how we have created a network; an infrastructure of local designers who help and support one another,” Bluwi, who is also the co-founder of Dezain Space, told The Jordan Times on Thursday, noting “their aim now is to work on their designs and products with the help of the mentorship and guidance we offer them to go international.”

Implemented as part of the EU funded JADE project, which partnered with Dezain Space, the bootcamp aimed at providing further support to creative businesses in Jordan, enhancing their market linkages, and increasing their growth and exports capacities, according to a joint statement. 

“Jordan has untapped talent in the creative industries that are on a track to grow, but for that to happen they need our support. That is why we are partnering with leading incubators such as Dezain to back government efforts in providing support to entrepreneurs,” said Hamzeh Shamaileh, project manager for the JADE project, adding that “together, we will be able to overcome ongoing challenges — and not only that, but successfully compete in the region and internationally”. 

A three-year project aimed at contributing to the private sector the development in Jordan, JADE provides support to 100 SMEs and 60 innovative startups, offering them opportunities to increase their exports, maximise their productivity and create new employment opportunities, the EU website said.