This new British business was established in 2019 and creates fair trade solutions to assist the production of cotton that is climate change tolerant. At the opposite end of the supply chain, it provides brands (Mango, Ecoalf, Positive Materials, etc.) with a service built on a Cotton-As-A-Service model, ensuring an entirely transparent supply chain with complete traceability. This encourages fashion firms to source from the producers it supports.
“Like the judges, our crews at Messe Frankfurt were awestruck by the calibre of the models that competed in this seventh Avantex Fashion Pitch. By highlighting Materra’s concept, the judges decided to back a bold solution to a pressing issue that the fashion industry was confronting. We can only commend the decision,” said Messe Frankfurt France President Frédéric Bougeard.
The final of the 7th Avantex Fashion Pitch competition, organised by Messe Frankfurt France, rewards the most innovative, sustainable and relevant projects for the future of fashion. Each of the eleven finalists – Darwie, Drippy, Finds, GoldenEye Smart Vision, Imki, Materra, Podium, Style Shifter, Swyco, Synovance and Trace For Good – was given five minutes to convince the jury, which was made up of Claudia Cesiro, start-up mentor and founder of The Ace Project agency, Élodie Lemaire Nowinski, historian, specialist in innovation and sustainable development in fashion and researcher at the Glasgow School of Art, Jayne Simone Estève-Curé, expert fashion and luxury consultant
Materra will benefit from a stand worth €2,800 at Avantex Paris 2025 courtesy of Messe Frankfurt France, plus €2,000 from Texpertise Network, the textile network of the Messe Frankfurt group, and 1 year’s incubation at Foundry courtesy of IFA Paris, official partner of the competition.
