eBay UK and the British Fashion Council are excited to reveal the six finalists for the 2024 Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund. These are early stage businesses with the potential to transform the fashion industry, offering a variety of sustainable solutions, from rental models to curated children’s pre-loved clothes boxes.
As the top destination for pre-loved fashion in the UK, eBay UK is building on the success of 2023 to extend the Fund for a second cohort. In collaboration with the British Fashion Council, the initiative demonstrates a lasting dedication to a sustainable future for fashion.
The Fund offers £15,000 for each selected small business, with an additional £10,000 for the overall winner. It aims to invest in and propel new technologies and services to enable a circular economy for fashion. Alongside the financial support, finalists embark on a six-week mentoring program, gain access to industry networking opportunities and receive invaluable support from environmental charity Hubbub, an ongoing advisor for the Fund.
The six finalists chosen for their inspiring circular fashion solutions are:
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Swoperz is a subscription-based preloved kids' clothing community with a difference: it is run by kids and managed by grownups.
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Give Your Best is a circular platform where people and brands donate clothes online, so vulnerable people in the UK such as refugees or trafficking victims can shop clothes online for free with the agency and dignity they deserve.
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Made Super enables rental business models on Shopify. Their beta product Supercycle® allows merchants to offer rental membership, manage inventory and returns, and sell via Shopify.
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Finds World is a social marketplace that lets people use videos to buy and sell the best secondhand, vintage and handmade fashion, and connect with like-minded people.
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Thrifthood is a female-founded online retailer of second-hand childrenswear with a difference: clothes are individually curated and delivered to customers’ doors. Any items not resold are donated to families in need in our community, such as toys, bibs and bedding.
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Loanhood is a circular commerce platform including a fashion rental marketplace app and a B2B solution for SMEs.
Swoperz took the crown as this year’s ultimate winner following a competitive pitch process last month.
The announcement coincides with a robust period of consumer demand for secondhand fashion. Every minute 5 pre-loved dresses, 2 pairs of pre-loved jeans and 8 pre-loved tops are sold on eBay in the UK.
Jemma Tadd, Head of Fashion, eBay UK, commented: “We are dedicated to empowering the UK's most innovative thinkers who are pioneering solutions for fashion waste and driving a circular fashion economy. I am immensely proud of this initiative and can’t wait to see this year’s Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund winners grow with our support. Together, we are truly reimagining the future of fashion.”
Caroline Rush, CEO at the British Fashion Council, said: “We are delighted to work with eBay again on the Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund. As an organisation, we have an important role to play in supporting and empowering businesses in preparing for positive change by embracing innovation. I look forward to following the remarkable advances which are being made in this year’s finalists.”
Vicky Fuller, from Swoperz, the 2023 Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund winner, commented: “Not only will the £25,000 help us scale our business, but the access to mentorship from fashion industry leaders will truly take us to the next level. eBay and the British Fashion Council share our vision for a sustainable future for fashion, and we can’t wait to share an update on our progress over the next year.”
eBay conserves resources and reduces waste through the buying and reselling of clothes on its platform. In 2022, through pre-loved fashion buys, eBay UK avoided almost 2M kg of fashion waste (in other words, the weight of almost 5 million shirts) and over 60,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e), swerving the equivalent of over 64,000 return flights between New York and London.
eBay is focused on making secondhand shopping a first thought for consumers with recent announcements including:
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A partnership with ITV’s Love Island All Stars, showcasing the power of pre-loved to millions on screen and inspiring Gen Z and Millennials to ditch single season fashion habits. eBay first partnered with Love Island in 2022.
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The launch of the Circular Change Council with global climate action NGO WRAP; an action-focused initiative to reduce furniture waste. The industry-first collective includes major brands including British Retail Consortium, Dunelm, and IKEA UK&IE.
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Continued commitment to driving better shopping habits by only promoting refurbished and pre-loved deals during a ‘reimagined’ Black Friday last year.
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The acquisition of Certilogo, a provider of AI-powered digital IDs and authentication for apparel and fashion goods. Certilogo leverages digital technology to empower brands and designers to manage the lifecycle of their garments; connecting consumers to their favourite brands.
Notes to editors
About the British Fashion Council:
The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1983 with the role to strengthen British fashion in the global economy as a leader in responsible, creative businesses. It does this through championing diversity and building and inviting the industry to actively participate in a network to accelerate a successful circular fashion economy. The BFC promotes British fashion internationally and does so through fashion weeks, exhibitions and showcasing events. The BFC helps British designer businesses develop their profile and business globally and supports fashion talent beginning at college level, extending to talent identification, business support and showcasing schemes.
The BFC Foundation (Registered Charity Number: 11852152) was created in 2019 for charitable purposes and grant giving; attracting, developing, and retaining talent through education and business mentoring.
About Hubbub:
Hubbub is an award-winning charity and social enterprise that inspires ways of living that are good for the environment - disrupting the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and shape systems. Their aim is to revolutionise communications with the public about environmental issues - using everyday language and good design to make environmental actions desirable and tapping into things people are passionate about such as food, fashion, homes and neighbourhoods. This innovative approach saw Hubbub win the Charity of the Year Award in 2020 and Best Social Media Presence in 2021 at the prestigious Charity Times Awards.
Since its formation in 2014, Hubbub has delivered more than 145 trailblazing environmental campaigns in collaboration with over 2,300 partners, helping to shift the national debate on key environmental issues such as food waste, sustainable fashion, air pollution and recycling. Hubbub’s campaigns include #LeedsByExample which brought together 25 of the UK’s largest companies to boost recycling on the high street, a 3-year partnership with IKEA to create the world’s largest consumer-facing sustainability campaign ‘Live Lagom’ and creating a network of 280 (and counting) Community Fridges across the UK which, in 2021, redistributed an estimated 3,150 tonnes of surplus food and welcomed over 250,000 unique visitors.