The Knitwit Stable is one of the five lucky winners of the DOEN Textielcall 2022. We will receive a donation of 50,000 euros to grow our company, The Knitwit Stable. With the donation from Stichting Doen, we can launch our brand, The Knitwit Label, into the market and thus contribute to a circular textile industry.
Below, we have included the press release from Stichting Doen, including the link to the video introducing all the winners. We are proud to be among them.
Archivist Studio, Atalye, The Knitwit Stable, MUSA Intimates and Versatile Forever are the winners of the DOEN Textielcall 2022 and each receive 50,000 euros to grow their business. According to Stichting DOEN, these five startups are accelerating the transition to a circular and fair textile industry with their business model. “We are pleasantly surprised by the many submissions and have full confidence in the five winners,” says Freija Vermeer, program manager at Stichting DOEN.
Textile entrepreneurs could submit their plans to Stichting DOEN from February 9 to March 15. The most important condition was that the startups contribute to the transition to a circular textile sector in the areas of Re-duce, Re-use, Re-place, Re-sell, and/or Re-cycle. The selection committee consisted of Mariette Hoitink (House of Denim and HTNL), Edson Sabajo (Patta), Thami Schweichler (Makers Unite) and employees of Stichting DOEN. In total, 123 textile entrepreneurs participated in the DOEN Textielcall.
Winners
The five winners each distinguish themselves in their own way. For example, Archivist Studio creates unique collections from waste materials from the hotel industry, and the entrepreneurs are praised by the jury for 'the good story, the beautiful products and good marketing'. The fashion brand Atalye designs, produces, and sells made-to-measure women's clothing. "They do this in a sustainable and innovative way with a 3D body scan," according to the jury. Versatile Forever is also a clothing brand, but based on second-hand textiles. Jury: "You can immediately see that it's circular: it's scalable and also dope."
Wool and banana
Other winners focus specifically on raw materials. For example, The Knitwit Stable produces sustainable wool articles from traditional Dutch (waste) wool and from the wool of its own sheep. "It's a beautiful product and it makes the chain insightful and transparent and has an educational component," the jury writes in its report. Finally, MUSA Intimates makes lingerie based on the stem of the banana plant and strives for a world where feeling good about yourself is the new beauty ideal. "Fashion, innovative, sustainable and inclusive. Completely focused on body positivity," praises the jury.
Serious boost
Stichting DOEN is convinced of the impact the five winners can make. “The textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Large ‘fast fashion’ brands are increasingly presenting themselves as sustainable, but the entire system in which they operate is highly polluting,” says Freija Vermeer, program manager at Stichting DOEN. “We strongly believe in the power of new initiatives. Especially for starting textile entrepreneurs, it is very difficult to obtain funding. Hence our donation of 50,000 euros to the five winners.”
MUD Jeans, Loop.a Life and New Optimist
Stichting DOEN has been working for several years on the transition to a more circular textile sector in the Netherlands, India and East Africa. The foundation supports innovative solutions in all parts of the chain: from circular raw materials to alternative production methods, reuse of old textiles and innovative consumer brands. Some leading examples of supported consumer brands are MUD Jeans (jeans made from recycled denim, including a lease model), Soft Revolt (3D printed bras), Loop.a Life (knitwear based on recycled wool) and the New Optimist (circular & social fashion).
