Mission Statement

The Ron Wilch Philadelphia Fashion Group is a collaborative network of creative professionals, fashion entrepreneurs, educators, manufacturers, organizations, and industry leaders committed to revitalizing Philadelphia and Pennsylvania through fashion, textile innovation, product development, and manufacturing.

Our mission is to bring together the extraordinary creative resources of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania—including textile designers, fashion photographers, bespoke tailors, sewing instructors, fashion designers, stylists, fashion schools and institutions, event producers, manufacturers, artists, and fashion organizations—and connect their talent and ideas to real opportunities in the marketplace.

We believe Philadelphia has a powerful history in textiles, manufacturing, design, and industry. Our vision is to help build that economic foundation again through modern fashion, technology, creativity, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships.

We envision a Philadelphia where fashion is not simply entertainment or personal style, but a major economic development industry creating businesses, careers, manufacturing opportunities, education, and international partnerships.

The Ron Wilch Philadelphia Fashion Group will:

• Build a monthly networking community connecting fashion professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, manufacturers, corporations, artists, and investors.
• Support and invest in emerging fashion brands and startups.
• Help creative entrepreneurs transform ideas and designs into market-ready products.
• Connect corporations with designers and manufacturers to develop products that can carry their corporate name, brand, or identity.
• Develop opportunities across sports, entertainment, celebrity fashion, corporate apparel, uniforms, lifestyle products, and consumer brands.
• Establish Fashion Development Centers throughout Philadelphia, providing space for design, training, product development, entrepreneurship, technology, and manufacturing.
• Partner with national textile companies, manufacturers, universities, fashion institutions, and international production operations.
• Develop relationships with international fashion and textile organizations through tours, trade missions, conferences, exhibitions, and strategic partnerships.
• Create pathways for young people and experienced professionals to learn design, sewing, textile technology, manufacturing, marketing, branding, and entrepreneurship.
• Help Philadelphia-based creative businesses become part of the national and global fashion marketplace.

Our philosophy is simple:

Creative ideas should become products. Products should create businesses. Businesses should create jobs. And successful businesses should help rebuild communities.

We bring artists and entrepreneurs together with the technical, manufacturing, financial, educational, and corporate resources necessary to move an idea from concept → design → prototype → production → branding → marketplace.

We seek partnerships with corporations, sports organizations, entertainment companies, celebrities, manufacturers, textile companies, investors, educational institutions, and government and community organizations that recognize the economic potential of fashion.

The Ron Wilch Philadelphia Fashion Group believes that Philadelphia can once again become a significant center for fashion, textiles, product development, and manufacturing.

Our goal is not simply to remember Philadelphia’s industrial past. Our goal is to build the next generation of Philadelphia industry.

We will create a network where a designer can meet a manufacturer, where a tailor can meet a corporation, where a student can meet a mentor, where an entrepreneur can meet an investor, and where a creative idea can become a product sold in markets around the world.

Through collaboration, education, investment, technology, manufacturing, and international partnerships, we are working to build Philadelphia back in fashion and style.

The Ron Wilch Philadelphia Fashion Group represents the vision of Ron Wilch, the “Fashion Czar of Philadelphia,” to unite the city’s creative talent and reconnect Philadelphia to the national and international fashion economy.

We are building a movement. We are building products. We are building businesses. We are building partnerships. We are building jobs. We are building Philadelphia’s future in fashion.

Philadelphia Fashion Group — Where Creative Vision Becomes Industry.