Plug and Play, Fashion for Good, and Kering Sustainable Textile Start-ups

From the over 250 applicants and a shortlist of twenty, a final selection of twelve start-ups have been awarded a place in the ‘Plug and Play - Fashion for Good’ accelerator, a collaboration between Plug and Play, Fashion for Good and Kering which aims to fast-track sustainable innovation within the luxury and apparel industries.

The twelve start-ups selected, who come from varied fields and academic backgrounds around the world, are Agraloop, Amadou, Dragon, Dropel, ICA Bremen, MySource, MycoTex, Pili-bio, RePack, Sundar, Tersus and Tipa. Selected for their comprehensive approaches to the textile supply-chain, the start-ups’ innovations range from developing new raw materials which will reduce fashion’s environmental impacts, to alternative production methods which will increase clothes’ longevity, and the development of new processes which enable closed-loop product lifecycles.

Under the accelerator, the start-ups will follow a unique 3-month programme during which Plug and Play, Fashion for Good and Kering will support them in scaling-up their innovations by providing mentoring, training, networking opportunities, and other valuable resources.

The accelerator’s second edition will take place later in 2017, with applications already open to start-ups.

Start-ups

Agraloop

Collecting waste from fibrous food-crop production including hemp, flax, banana and pineapple, Agraloop transforms these into fibers for use in textiles. Processed using conventional cotton machinery, this new material offers a biodegradable and more environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional fibres.

Amadou

Made from the skin of amadou mushrooms, Amadou is a renewable, biodegradable, vegetarian and lower-environmental-impact alternative to leather. A pilot collection of footwear and accessories have already successfully undergone viability, aesthetic and durability tests to ensure Amadou is suitable for use within the textile sector.

Dragon

Founded by a team of electric and mechanical engineers, Dragon is a novel water purification technology which operates off light energy. The technology includes a high-efficiency water filtration system, which when applied to textile production processes could increase water quality whilst reducing the level of chemicals and energy required.

Dropel

Already developing performance-enhanced natural fabrics and fibers for the apparel industry, Dropel is a bio-degradable polymer that is implemented into the natural fiber. It repels all watery or oily substances, thus increasing the lifespan and durability of any fiber.

ICA Bremen

Using nano-technology to introduce scan-able tracers into fibers of organic cotton, ICA Bremen provides the technology needed to identify organic cotton and the mix ratio of conventional and organic within textiles.

MySource

An intelligent online business network, MySource matches fashion professionals to the connections and information they need to build successful, sustainable businesses. The site builds on ten years of work by the Ethical Fashion Forum, and a global network in 141 countries.

This article is so full of amazing resources, we are splitting this up into a two part series.  Read about more sustainable textile start-ups from part 2 of this news article.

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