TRADE EVENT
1 st European Textile Startup Summit
‘ Fashion for Good’ aims at global impact
The startup Fashion for Good, launched on March 30, 2017 attracted a lot of attention at the ETP event. This startup is different from most others since it is not only built, like many others, on goodwill and creative amateurism, but funded by C & A Foundation. It boasts the support of strong partners like C & A, Adidas, Kering( with Gucci, YSL, Puma,…), Zalando, Galeries Lafayette, Target.
During the first year of its existence, Fashion for Good has given several small, innovating startups a push from the back. Its core business is providing promising startups the needed expertise, contacts and resources to rapidly scale up. The ambitious ultimate goal of Fashion for Good is to pilot the global fashion sector into the circular economy.
Canadian software and engineering specialists who started Scalable Garment Technologies have designed and prototyped a robotic knitting machine to produce custom seamless knit garments in the size, material and style chosen by customers.
Will this startup succeed in alleviating the very heavy ecological and social footprint of the fashion sector? Conscious clothing consumers who wonder how this sector— from fibre to fashion— is fitting in the doughnut model of the popular British economist Kate Raworth have to conclude that it does not fit at all. Its pollution and excess consumption are degrading the environment beyond repair. Millions of garment workers do not yet enjoy the comfort of a living wage and social security.
Scepsis is justified about the possible success in the medium term of Fashion for Good. Can‘ fast fashion’ companies be expected to voluntarily drop the core advantages of their business model( speed and low price)? Recently, even the consequently CSR-oriented( corporate social responsibility) clothing brand C & A was criticised because it presented in its Best Deals budget collection very cheap articles like t-shirts for ¤ 2 and trousers for ¤ 8.“ How can C & A pretend to aspire to sustainability with such prices?”, was the essence of most public reproaches. C & A explained that it requires from all its suppliers a guarantee that the workers get at least a minimum salary. Market observers remarked that C & A has to compete with price breakers like Primark.
The Infinited Fiber Company
Another interesting startup is The Infinited Fiber Company, which was pitched in Brussels by CEO and Co-founder Petri Alava from Finland. Alava contends that Infinited Fiber is able to produce a cotton-like textile fibre from waste materials and residue biomaterials. This fibre can be recycled again and again without loss of quality. The ambition of Infinited Fiber is to replace cotton and polyester in the fashion industry and in the large market of disposable hygienic products. Also, the industry of technical products for filtration, insulation, composites, is reportedly showing growing interest.
Alava doesn’ t want to conquer the world alone. He invites all other radical recycling innovators to cooperate with his company for building a new global ecosystem. He expects that demand will increase fast since so many big players want to get rid of the traditional, unsustainable cotton and synthetic fibres. Ikea intends to increase the use of man-made cellulosic fibres to more than 40 per cent of all fibre usage by 2030. Wrangler has the objective to replace 30 per cent of cotton in jeans. Suominen wants to bring sustainability to nonwoven markets. Tommy Hilfiger sees major potential in menswear with new fibres. Also, consumers are willing to pay a price for sustainability( or so they say), and not only in the rich countries. According to Alava, 95 per cent of the people in Brazil, China and India are actively in search of responsible products.
The Infinited Fiber Company may be a startup, but according to founders its technology is mature. It has been developed since the Nineties with more than ¤ 7 million investments. The fibres have been successfully tested in industrial production tests by an H & M subcontractor. According to Adidas, the fabric made of the fibre“ has already a commercial quality.”
140 | FIBRE2FASHION JUNE 2018