eBay UK teams up with British Fashion Council to award £100k to small businesses with circular fashion solutions
eBay UK and the British Fashion Council (BFC) announce six winners of the newly-established ‘Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund’, which is aimed at helping grow small businesses, delivering £100,000 in grants.
The fund builds on eBay’s existing support for the circular fashion economy. In 2021 eBay helped save over 17,770 tons of fashion items out of landfills, which is the equivalent of 1,404 double-decker buses.
Caroline Rush, British Fashion Council Chief Executive, added: “We all have a part to play in creating a positive future for the fashion industry, and now more than ever, it is crucial that the fashion community does its utmost to protect and nurture innovative start-ups and small businesses specialising in circular fashion solutions."
Each of the six winning businesses, which all provide circular fashion solutions, will receive mentoring from industry leaders and a £15,000 grant to help their growth. The overall winner, which is soon to be announced, will then receive an additional £10,000 grant.
The six winners are as follows:
By Rotation is the world’s first social network to rent and lend garments and accessories. It has over 500,000 downloads in the UK alone and is in the works to be expanded to the US.
The foundation works with textile recyclers to ensure clothing can be recycled into new textiles at the end of use. This is made possible by recycling technologies using QR technology and certification systems.
The Seam is an on-demand tailoring service making clothing alterations and repairs accessible through technology. It has already completed 10,000 repairs and provides white-labeled care and repair platforms to fashion retailers.
Sages pioneers the innovation of natural dyes made from food waste, providing a commercial alternative to harmful synthetic dyes.
The label designs sustainable shoes for children, made from recycled and bio-materials. It also provides recycling solutions and eco-educational content.
The business implements circular design strategies for sports apparel and outdoor brands. It utilises radio frequency identification to assist commercial repair and upcycling of clothing.
Lucy Peacock, Head of Pre-loved at eBay UK, said: “Circularity is the future of fashion, and over recent years start-ups and small businesses have been at the forefront of solutions to make it a reality.
“The winners of the Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund epitomise this, and we hope that the mentoring and grant will help scale these promising businesses in size and reach, and in turn make sustainable fashion practices more accessible to more people.”
