Fashion Start-ups Crop Up in Accelerator in N.Y.’s Hudson Valley

Newburgh, N.Y. may be an unexpected spot for a fashion start-up, but nine brands are staffing up there through The Accelerator. As a certified New York State business incubator, the program caters to manufacturing-based businesses that specialize in locally-sourced products. At the onset of the 20th century, apparel manufacturing was a leading industry in the Hudson Valley town. Looking to give a boost to its underemployed Latino community, The Accelerator was created to provide locals with $15 hourly wages and the prospect of long-range skilled jobs. While not dedicated solely to fashion companies, The Accelerator’s apparel and accessories start-ups have attracted interest for the group’s American-made manufacturing and help-the-locals business practices. Running on a $500,000 annual budget and primarily funded by the Orange County Industrial Development Agency, the Accelerator’s fashion component has two more companies in the pipeline and room for a 12th one. Unlike incubators supported by venture capitalists or outside companies, participants in Newburgh remain independent. Laurie Villasuso, the agency’s chief operating officer and executive vice president, said, “It’s not a profit center. We do not take any interest in any company. We don’t take any shares of their profits, of their companies or of their intellectual properties. It’s really

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