Fashion for Good’s South Asia Innovation Programme in July welcomed nine start-up innovators into second batch of its regional programme. Focusing on innovations in raw materials, wet processing, packaging, end-of-use and digital acceleration, the new selection of innovators brings solutions crucial to manufacturing and supply chains in South Asia. The second batch joins Fashion for Good’s global selection of start-ups driving the industry’s transformation towards a more sustainable, circular system. In all 19 innovators, who were shortlisted from over 100 start-ups, attended from across the globe to pitch their innovations with sustainable solutions focused on the South Asia region.

Jeans jacket mimicking touch from H&M, Boltware

H&M and Boltware, a Berlin-based wearable technology solution company, in August reported developing Wearable Love, a jeans jacket that can mimic the feeling of being touched. The jacket shoulders are embedded with flexible sensors and tactile elements. The customer needs to download the Wearable Love app that connects these sensors via Bluetooth for transmitting the signals to the jackets to mimic the feeling of being touched. The development is relevant during times of social distancing. Each jacket has a registration code for the app that is given to the customers when they buy them.

Chinese team makes fabric to cool without electricity

Indian team grows brown cotton to suit textile mills’ need

DuPont Sorona & Sateri’s EcoCosy develop StretchCosy

Stella McCartney unveils first biodegradable stretch denim

Columbia unveils black dot technology to keep one warm

Tengri introduces rare new yarn from Khangai camel fibre

MIT team creates fabrics with embedded sensors

H&M awards €1 mn to five innovations of fashion industry

Five innovations in April were given the 2020 Global Change Award, non-profit H&M Foundation’s innovation challenge. H&M Foundation will continue supporting long-term development, innovation and entrepreneurship for a sustainable future. The award panel selected five innovations out of 5,893 entries from 175 countries, in August-October 2019. Incredible Cotton by Galy (US/Brazil) won the prize money of €300,000 for using biotechnology to create lab-grown cotton. Feature Fibres by Werewool (US) won €250,000. Tracing Threads by TextileGenesis (India) won €150,000. Zero Sludge by SeaChange Technologies (US) won €150,000. Airwear by Fairbrics (France) won €150,000.

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Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)