When Theofilio’s Edvin Thompson last showed at New York Fashion Week in September 2022, he was emblematic of the plight of American indie designers: lots of talk, but not much business.
Thompson was named America’s Emerging Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2021 and was widely seen as one of the most promising up-and-coming brands on the schedule, but his brand was operating at a loss and, without the CFDA prize money, he said, he might not have been able to compete in the show.
When the grant money dried up, so did Thompson’s dreams of a runway show. Apart from a small cruise collection in Los Angeles last year, he hasn’t walked a show since then. His plan to return to New York in February was cancelled at the last minute after sponsors pulled out.
Thompson, who returns to the schedule with a show at the Freehand Hotel on Sept. 9, describes his time away from the fashion week spotlight as a blessing. Over the past year, he’s focused on building the foundations of his business, opening a new studio in the Financial District’s trendy WSA Building. He’s also been tackling the less glamorous aspects of running a fashion brand, hiring his first accountant three months ago and setting his first annual operating strategy.
“It helped us assess the scale and evaluate doing the shows again,” Thompson told Business of Fashion. “Like, ‘OK, here’s where the money is coming from and we understand it, so we can do the shows again.’ We can look at it from a bird’s eye view.”
Playing the long game means making good business decisions: building up reserves for big expenses, negotiating better terms with vendors up front and sometimes forgoing costly items like fashion shows if they could help the business succeed elsewhere. Going forward, Theofilio is unlikely to do a show every season, Thompson said.
He added that wholesale and celebrity business were driving sales, helping the company break even for the first time.
Thompson said he hopes a return to the runway will bring increased exposure to buyers, journalists and Hollywood stylists — he and his team are also planning dinners during fashion week — but he worries the move may still be “a little too early.”
“My team is pretty small, so it’s definitely difficult,” he says, “but I look around and I think, ‘Yes, I’ve gotten there,’ so it makes sense to carry on despite these challenges.”
Participating in New York Fashion Week is a major undertaking that requires months of preparation and costs upwards of $125,000 for even the smallest brands.
But the real job, Thompson said, is meeting the massive demand that comes from a successful show.
That means beefing up Theofilio’s supply chain. Right now, the brand lacks the production capacity to sign potential new retail partners — its biggest suppliers are Ssense and Bergdorf Goodman — and samples are in short supply. Lately, the brand has struggled to keep up with media requests and celebrity loans for colorful dresses and sleek leather separates.
“We usually say yes to loans or press underwriting, but often we have to say no because we don’t have the capacity,” Thompson said. “If you only have three samples[of something]it’s certainly going to be difficult.”
The highly anticipated handbag launch is also on hold while Theofilio works out production schedules with two new accessories suppliers. Thompson told The Wall Street Journal in March that leather goods would be available later this year. For now, that timeline is tentative.
For the apparel supply chain, a potential solution is to find new manufacturers in China. Currently, Theofilio produces all of its ready-to-wear clothing in New York City, but costs can be prohibitive — a $50,000 wholesale order, for example, comes with a 50% upfront fee. Thompson is exploring relationships with factories in China and may also work with Factor to help finance future orders.
“The marketing is great,” he says. “What’s really important to me is getting the production side of things aligned.”
Theofilio’s spring/summer 2025 collection, named “Shawnie,” after Thompson’s childhood nickname, will be a “celebration of my greater self,” Thompson said, set against the backdrop of his native Jamaica and sponsored by Jamaica-based Sandals, a resort chain in the Caribbean.
“It’s very sexy and atmospheric,” he added, featuring sequins, leather, headpieces and his trademark graffiti prints.
While Theofilio may not show every season from now on, Thompson said it’s important to him to attend New York Fashion Week, if only to be represented as a designer of color at a time when major fashion companies are divesting from investments in diversity and inclusion.
“Representation is so important and I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “I think it’s so important that people like me are seen often. I think it’s important for us to fill the room, not have a little space in the corner.”