PARIS — Kering has partnered with global innovation platform Plug and Play for an accelerator that will identify and invest in textile start-ups with the aim of fast-tracking sustainable innovation within the luxury and apparel industries.
The French group, parent of brands including Gucci, Puma, Boucheron and Stella McCartney, is the first founding anchor partner of the Plug and Play — Fashion for Good accelerator based in Amsterdam. The Fashion for Good initiative was set up with an initial grant from the C&A Foundation.
“Via the accelerator, the partners will identify innovative start-ups and support them in scaling up their technologies, methodologies and business models. As such, Kering and the partners aim to stimulate disruptive innovation, transform conventional processes in luxury and enable the widespread adoption of sustainable practices,” they said in a joint statement.
The Fashion for Good center is set to launch in Amsterdam on Thursday with a pitching session where early-stage innovators will present their projects and technologies. The 10 start-ups selected to take part in the three-month mentoring program will be revealed in early April.
The start-ups will focus on three priority areas: raw material sourcing; fabric and garment production, and end of use. Kering and Plug and Play will provide training,
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