eBay UK, BFC announces circular fashion fund winners

The British Fashion Council (BFC) and eBay UK have announced the six winners of their first Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund, aimed at helping grow small businesses, delivering  £100,000 (US$120,000) in grants.

eBay’s current support for the circular fashion sector is expanded upon through the fund. The equivalent of 1,404 double-decker buses’ worth of clothing was kept out of landfills in 2021 thanks to eBay.

Caroline Rush, British Fashion Council Chief Executive, said that they all have a role to play in ensuring a bright future for the fashion industry, and it is now more important than ever that the fashion community does its best to protect and nurture innovative start-ups and small businesses that specialize in circular fashion solutions.

The six winning companies, which all offer circular fashion solutions, will each get £15,000 in funding for expansion as well as coaching from top businesspeople in the field. The final winner, who will be revealed soon, will then be awarded an additional £10,000 reward.

The six winners are as follows: By Rotation, Circular Textiles Foundation, The Seam, Sages, Pip and Henry, and Circular Inc.

Lucy Peacock, Head of Pre-loved at eBay UK, said that circularity is the future of fashion, and in recent years, start-ups and small businesses have been at the forefront of solutions to make it a reality. The winners of the Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund are the epitome of this, and they anticipate that the mentoring and grant will help grow and expand the reach of these innovative firms, making sustainable fashion more widely available.