The winner was chosen by a judging panel made up of industry experts including Ella Gould, director of sustainability and innovation at Selfridges; Chelsea Franklin, director of advanced conceptual design at Pangaia; Gillian Lipton, sustainability consultant most recently at Alexander McQueen; Matthew Drinkwater, director of the fashion innovation agency at London College of Fashion, UAL; and Adam Mansell, chief executive of UKFT.
“I feel very energized and hopeful after seeing such a broad spectrum of proposals that solve problems across the entire fashion value chain. The judges were unanimous that Fibe won this year’s award. The energy in the room after their presentation was palpable and we look forward to seeing them take their fiber innovation to the next level. Who would have thought potatoes could be so exciting?” Ella Gould, director of sustainability and innovation at Selfridges and Manufacturing Futures judgesaying.
Fibe, a startup that uses potato crop waste to create fibers, won the Fashion District’s Manufacturing Futures Innovation Challenge 2024, securing £15,000 (~$19,212) to advance its sustainable materials science. Quinova and Fab Materials were also recognized as finalists for their innovations in biodegradable sequins and fashion waste recycling.
“I am very excited to have won the Manufacturing Futures Award. I have known many of the startups participating in this program for a long time and have a lot of respect for them, so winning this award means a lot to us. The funding will be used to expand our business so that we can harvest a variety of different crops and create better conditions for farmers around the world. Our mission is ultimately to create materials that use far fewer environmental resources than are currently available. Many thanks to the judges and organizers for giving us this great opportunity to grow Fibe,” he said. Idan Gal-Shohet, co-founder of Fibe.
The finalists, who will each receive £5,000 ($6,404) for their business, include Quinova, which makes biodegradable sequins from cellulose; and Fab Materials, which turns hard-to-recycle fashion waste into valuable boards and composites, such as furniture, Fashion District said in a press release.
“Congratulations to Fibe for winning this year’s Manufacturing Futures Innovation Challenge. I am deeply impressed by the talent and creativity of all the startups that participated in this year’s challenge and I am hopeful for the future of the industry. There is much we can do to improve and startups like these bring us one step closer to achieving tangible change.” Helen Lax, Fashion District Directorsaying.
Fibre2Fashion (RR) Press Desk
