An interactive website located at www.TextileRepublic.com now offers aspiring fabric designers the chance to share designs globally, as well as the opportunity to turn a profit. Designers may upload their fabric designs to the website; and every two to three months, Textile Republic will select the most creative and popular designs, based on online voting. Winning designs will be printed by a digital textile printer and then sold by Textile Republic. Selected designers receive $1,000 for the design and a 5-percent royalty on profits.

Cleveland-based Textile Republic was founded earlier this year by fashion designer Kimberley Osborne, head of Kimberley Cristen Ltd., and Brian Osborne, a principle at private equity firm Parkstone Capital Partners. The website also serves as a forum where designers can meet, offer and receive advice, and share ideas.

The company is currently in discussions with digital textile printing companies in the United Kingdom, North Carolina and New York, and also is considering using more traditional printing methods. It initially will sell selected fabrics by the yard on its website and via its wholesale network.

“[O]ur goal is to create a strong brand name that will allow us to create a line of merchandise,” said Brian Osborne. “We are currently talking to manufacturers for ties, belts, handbags, shirts, wallpaper and stationery.

“We have received very positive feedback and the word is starting to travel. We continue to meet with design schools and have found that many designers want to focus on what they love to do best — design — and leave the more tedious and capital intensive work to us (production, marketing and selling),” Osborne explained. “We set up Textile Republic to mirror the franchise business model. In other words, we handle the operations and selling and pay a royalty to the designer for their creation. We truly believe that sharing in the upside will provide great designs and organic growth.”

December 4, 2007