The application period for the EU-wide project “Fashion for Change” began in mid-January. Behind this is an accelerator program for small and medium-sized fashion companies, fashion designers and start-ups that bring ideas and projects to innovative fibers and fashion products made from sustainable, recycled and/or upcycled materials, to circular business models such as repair, sharing and return systems and software systems that enable fashion on demand. Transnational partnerships of at least two companies can register for the open call for tenders until April 19, 2022.
The program aims to develop circular fashion products, services and applications at scale.
The three-year project is funded by the European Commission’s COSME program and implemented by a consortium of five partners, including Ecopreneur.eu.
The 35 most promising partnerships will be invited to present their projects at a “Fashion Sprint” designathon, where they will be mentored by personal mentors and given opportunities to network. 25 of these teams will be invited to an eight-month Fashion for Change “growth program” designed to help them develop, test and scale their products.
To this end, each team receives a grant of 10,000 euros, professional business mentoring and technical support during meetings, workshops and study visits. Finally, as part of the growth program, the five most outstanding teams will be rewarded with an additional 5,000 euros and two investor meetings per team, complemented by personal company support, for example to revise their business or marketing plans.
The design of the growth program takes into account the results of the market study “Supporting Sustainable Fashion Designers, Start-Ups and SMEs in the Circular Economy” carried out by Ecopreneur.eu as part of the Fashion For Change 2021 project. The study concluded that fashion designers, start-ups and SMEs need financial support combined with professional help and access to practical resources to successfully launch sustainable business models.
Further information and the opportunity to apply for the open call for applications, which runs until April 19, is available at www.fashionforchange.eu.