MEET THE Designers:
Kennedi Murray
linkedin.com/in/kennedimurray
@kennedi.murray
SUMMARY
I began by exploring fashion as an investable asset and quickly discovered a deeper issue, emerging designers struggle to access the capital needed to scale. Through research, interviews, and testing, I uncovered systemic gaps, bias, lack of financial tools, and limited investor education. My project, Moda Fund, responds by creating a platform that connects fashion entrepreneurs with investors, offering guidance, evaluation tools, and resources. This matters because Moda Fund challenges the harmful structure of the financial system and creates space for designers to be taken seriously
challenge
I discovered major gaps for both designers and investors. Rising fashion entrepreneurs struggle to access capital due to bias, lack of financial literacy tools, and limited understanding of how to present their businesses as investable. Investors, meanwhile, lack structured ways to evaluate creative ventures and often perceive fashion as “high risk.” These gaps revealed a clear opportunity, a platform that legitimizes fashion as an asset class, ensuring designers have support, and gives investors the clarity they need to participate.
Outcome
The project ultimately became Moda Fund, a platform that connects emerging fashion entrepreneurs with investors through tailored resources, valuation tools, and educational support. It directly addresses a designer's need for credibility, funding access, and financial guidance, while giving investors structured frameworks to evaluate creative ventures. By reframing fashion as an investable asset class, Moda Fund fills a critical market gap where talent, capital, and opportunity rarely meet.
