The French company Alphalyr, an AI platform for analyzing data from supply chain, retail and e-commerce, is the winner of the ANDAM Innovation Prize 2026. The company will receive an endowment of 100,000 euros. Pili, which develops bio-based dyes to replace petrochemical alternatives, receives the special jury prize.
The 2026 edition shows that innovation in fashion is focused on two main areas: artificial intelligence and more sustainable materials and processes.
The expert committee met on May 20, 2026 at the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) in Paris to review the applications and select the winners. Launched in 2017, the award aims to promote technological innovation related to the transformation of the creative and fashion industries.
AI at the heart of innovation at the 2026 ANDAM competition
“With Alphalyr, the 2026 edition marks the arrival of AI applied to retail, supply chain and sales management. In an environment that is complicated for brands, it becomes challenging to help companies anticipate demand and adapt their goods flows. This is particularly true for younger brands,” Nathalie Dufour, founder and managing director of ANDAM, told FashionUnited.
The 2026 winner, Alphalyr, led by Bertrand Fredenucci and Nicolas Fellous, is developing an artificial intelligence platform. It is aimed at fashion brands and retailers in order to analyze and control their data from the supply chain, retail and e-commerce. Specifically, the company aims to transform business and operational data into actionable decisions to improve the overall performance of fashion companies.
Their technology is used in sales analytics, inventory management, supply chain management, retail performance monitoring, e-commerce optimization, demand forecasting, and AI decision making.
By awarding Alphalyr its first prize, ANDAM recognizes operational AI solutions that can directly impact the economic and environmental efficiency of the fashion value chain.
“We have also seen very concretely and operationally the improvement that AI brings to the value chain. This applies both to operational efficiency and to the co-development of the creative approach,” explains Yann Gozlan in the statement. Gozlan is the founder of Creative Valley, a French incubator and accelerator for innovative start-ups, and a member of the executive committee.
Innovations with a focus on materials and sustainability
“Nevertheless, ANDAM maintains its interest in material innovations. This is demonstrated by the special prize for Pili and its alternatives to petrochemical dyes,” explains Nathalie Dufour.
Pili, led by Guillaume Boissonnat-Wu and Jérémie Blache, is part of the biotech ecosystem for materials and sustainable fashion. The French company offers an alternative to petrochemical dyes.
Pili combines microbial fermentation and green chemistry to produce bio-based dyes and pigments. In particular, the company produces a bio-based indigo from renewable raw materials.
“We have discovered a real maturity and diversity in the range of new materials, with increasing attention to environmental challenges such as water and carbon consumption,” adds Yann Gozlan.
The two finalists will benefit from mentoring from Yann Gozlan as well as access to ANDAM’s network and ecosystem. In addition, the expert committee has also invited the ten finalists to present their technology during Inno-Tech at Première Vision Paris from September 1st to 3rd, 2026.
ANDAM recalls that the nine previous winners have raised more than 200 million euros in funding and established partnerships with players from the luxury and fashion sectors.
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