Materra, a British startup founded in 2019, has won the 2024 Avantex Fashion Pitch award for its innovative cotton cultivation solutions. Specializing in climate-adapted, fair-trade cotton, Materra connects fashion brands like Mango and Ecoalf with its producers through a Cotton-As-A-Service model, ensuring full supply chain transparency and traceability.
Frederic Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France, noted that Materra's ambitious approach to a critical issue in the fashion industry greatly impressed both Messe Frankfurt and the jury.
The competition, organized by Messe Frankfurt France, showcases the most innovative and sustainable fashion projects. Eleven finalists, including Darwie, Drippy, Finds, and GoldenEye Smart Vision, each had five minutes to present their ideas to a distinguished jury of industry experts.
Materra's victory comes with significant rewards: a €2,800 stand at Avantex Paris 2025, €2,000 from Texpertise Network, and a year of incubation at Foundry courtesy of IFA Paris. The jury, including Claudia Cesiro, ElodieLemaireNowinski, Jayne Simone Esteve-Cure, and Yoobin Jung, recognized Materra's potential to address urgent environmental challenges in fashion.
