Innovation award for Materra
Materra, a start-up based in Britain and India, won the Avantex Fashion Pitch prize this Monday for its work in developing climate-resilient cotton growing practices and its ‘cotton-as-a-service’ concept. In its seventh year, the pitch session gives a dozen or so start-ups the opportunity to present their projects and bring them to the next stage. It is also part of Messe Frankfurt France’s support for innovation in the textile and apparel industries.
Founded in 2019, Materra is harnessing the power of data to help farmers switch to regenerative practices. Brands and retailers that buy Materra cotton will then have access to information on water use, soil health, etc. for their own ESG needs. Some 5,000 farmers are engaged in the regenerative programme in India. “We have found that in just a few years the ability of soil to retain water has improved significantly, lessening the risk of flooding,” Edward Brial, CEO and founder, told Inside Denim.
Mango and Ecoalf are among the first brands to buy Materra regenerative cotton. The start-up is also pursuing another climate-resilient cotton growing system using hydroponics, a project currently underway with partners Kering, PVH, Arvind and H&M. It has also recently published an in depth report to explain how soil carbon sequestration works (Digging Deep).
As the winner of the contest, Materra will be offered a booth at the next edition of Avantex by Messe Frankfurt France, show organiser, Messe Frankfurt’s textile network Texpertise adds in €2,000, and international fashion school IFA Paris, a partner in the competition, offers one year of incubation at the Foundry, its fashion technology innovation lab.
The jury noted that Synovance, a start-up that is progressively scaling up production of its biotech indigo, was a close runner up to Materra.
From left to right: Jury members Jayne Simone Estève-Curé and Elodie Lemaire Nowinski, Edward Brial, CEO & co-founder Materra, Frédéric Bougeard, president of Messe Frankfurt France, and the two other jury members, Claudia Cesiro and Yoobin Jung.
Photo courtesy of Messe Frankfurt France
