Hawai‘i Fashion Incubator’s successful two-week pop-up at Ala Moana Center last spring was enough to convince co-founders Melissa May White and Toby Portner they were on the right track, but the one thing they learned was to set their ambitions higher.

"We learned not to pop up for such a short period of time," Portner said. "It was such a positive experience, but two weeks was such a short time, it was over before we knew it. So rather than do a pop-up again, we said, ‘Let’s see what we can do if we find a place where we can stick around for a while and plant some roots.’"

Last fall they signed a 15-month lease at Ward Warehouse for a 1,700-foot-space above T&C Surf; the space is now open for events with two rooms, one for meetings, classes and workshops, and one for retail sales beginning next month, with about 20 local designers and brands. There’s also a small space they aim to make available for use as a photo studio, with equipment available for rent.

All the work is focused on the goal of becoming the go-to resource for nurturing, inspiring and assisting aspiring artists, fashion designers and other creatives. In addition to the educational experience the incubator, known as Hifi, can provide, Portner said their hope is that having a physical space will help drive collaborations among designers.

"A lot of people meet at coffee shops, but when we were at Ala Moana, a lot of people were holding their meeting in our space," Portner said. "There are others who work in solitary environments who are looking forward to working in a common area where other people are working on their own projects."

Membership in Hifi stands at about 120. Annual fees are $50 for fashion supporters, students and visiting professionals, and up to $1,000 for "gold sponsors." To gain additional funding, the organization is in the midst of its IndieGoGo campaign to raise $10,000 for its permanent spot before Feb. 14.

Portner emphasizes the organization is there to serve its members in the spirit of a co-op.

"We’re using the Ala Moana store as a model because it’s been tested and everyone understands it, so we’re going to start from there, but we’re open to people’s ideas," Portner said. "What we learned there was that people can’t visualize what the space can be. They have to see it physically to understand what it is and what it can be."

They’re already talking with an Ohio designer who wants to use the space for a pop-up sale, and they’re setting up a master calendar that will allow members to reserve space for workshops, classes, photo sessions or launch parties for their collections. Thirty percent of income from events and retail sales will go to Hifi to help meet operating costs.

"We’ve contacted other tenants at Ward Warehouse as well to see if they have needs we can meet, whether it’s to provide interns or models for fashion shows they want to present," Portner said.

Portner, whose background is in education, worked on a similar school-store project in Chicago before moving to Hawaii. At the time, she was focused on teaching youths to work with their hands.

"From that experience I saw how fashion can support a project through retail sales, but I didn’t realize how closely connected the two ideas can be."

She’s looking forward to conducting her own workshops, bringing families together through craft projects, as well as nurturing young entrepreneurs.

"There are people who may think, ‘I always wanted to run a store.’ We may let them take it over for three or four months and see what happens. We want to incubate potential store owners and managers as well; it’s not just for designers."