Four circular fashion start-ups have been selected to move on for the incubation phase in Spain. After an internal called launched by TEXFOR, the Spanish partner from STAND Up! project, a total amount of 14 candidates applied to access to the incubation phase. The four selected candidates achieved the highest score in the Green Business Model training, methodology developed by the SCP/RAC on which the training sessions taken before summer were based.

In this sense, the prize for these four innovative start-ups in the textile and clothing sector is a 7 months of mentoring, supported by professionals with a long experience in sustainable development and entrepreneurship, together with a grant of €4,500 for hiring experts. To know more about them, the four selected candidates for the incubation phase are:

• Bäloop gives a second life to materials from textile waste from the fashion and medical sectors. The new material can be recycled several times, guaranteeing both sustainability and the circularity on the process.
• Zer Era is a fashion brand that introduces digital manufacturing techniques with the aim of eliminating textile waste generated in traditional production.
• Made in Kölors is a project that provides environmental and social sustainability. It returns to the origins in terms of "slow fashion" production.
• DeleiteWear is a Mediterranean circular fashion project, with social impact, led by a team of intergenerational women. It saves textile waste with a scalable upcycling methodology that is more sustainable and economical than recycling.

The journey: from training to incubation

The incubation phase is the culmination of a journey that started last April 2021. A total amount of 40 entrepreneurs were selected for a 3 months training to develop their business ideas, always with a sustainable approach and strengths in areas such as social, environment and economic impact.

During the 5 training sessions, the selected entrepreneurs modified and adapted their initial business ideas and implemented sustainability criteria of real application to their companies. At the end of this first phase, on 21 July, a call was launched for the subsequent incubation of the winning projects.

During the 7 months of mentoring, Txell Costa Group, a national and international marketing sales consultancy and Sharam Yalda, a circular economy business consultancy, will support the start-ups throughout the process of implementation and growth. Among the activities they will help the entrepreneurs to carry out the development of a marketing plan, a financial plan, legal advice, and technical consultancy.