This morning, as the coffee and mountain of croissants welcomed leading individuals to celebrate ten years of bold thinking and transformative innovation, we raised our coffees to the pioneers, disruptors and visionaries reimagining what fashion can be. With 20 out of 56 Global Change Award alumni exhibitions present, the room was filled with energy, hope and purpose.
Since 2015, through the partnership between the H&M Foundation and KTH Innovation, the Global Change Award has backed early-stage changemakers. The ones finding ways to decarbonise textiles and build a fair transition for both people and planet. As mentioned in this morning’s opening remarks, this exhibition shows how fashion and technology can come together to spark solutions that make a real difference.
The exhibition follows each innovator’s journey from idea to impact. The Global Change Award initiative has supported 56 teams from 23 countries, offering not only funding but something even more valuable: belief and belonging.
I spoke to two former winners. One is working to extend the life of our clothes, giving garments the chance to live more than one life. The other is opening a new world of textile possibilities using one of the ocean’s quietest heroes: seaweed.
After ten years in the fashion industry, co-founder Richard Toon saw too much go to waste.
”I worked designing shirts for 10 years and I couldn’t design another blue and white striped shirt to replace a blue and white striped shirt,” he said.
For the white T-shirt you threw out because it lost its colour, Biorestore, 2022 winner, now offers a chance at revival. With a range of five treatments, your cotton basics, faded t-shirts and beloved fuzzy jumpers can be restored. The Swedish startup has developed a laundry solution that revitalises worn garments by repairing fibres and bringing back their softness and shape. In just a small sachet, one wash can undo months of wear.
Phycolabs, winner of the 2023 Global Change Award, is turning seaweed into possibility. The Brazilian biomaterial startup produces fibres using farmed seaweed and is determined to keep the process pure.
“We are trying to do something pure, even if after the industry decides to mix,” said founder Thamires Pontes. “We only use farmed seaweed. It supports coastal communities and lets us guarantee traceability. From the farm to the fibre – who cultivated that seaweed?”
When asked about their biggest challenges today, Biorestore mentioned funding and visibility, calling the process relentless. Phycolabs spoke about infrastructure and client expectations, saying clients often want a sustainable biomaterial that performs exactly like polyester. It’s a reminder that innovation can move fast, but systems and habits take longer to change.
As the morning wrapped, it was clear that this tenth anniversary wasn’t about looking back but looking forward. The Global Change Award began with one simple but ambitious goal: to help make the fashion planet positive. Ten years on, it’s safe to say it’s more than that. It’s passion, it’s community, it’s drive for a better future. Like Christiane Dolva said in her opening remarks, “this is not just a celebration, this is a call to action”.
