The co-created pieces
Each pairing set out to combine a winner’s design vision with an innovator’s technology, resulting in five pieces that show how circular materials and processes can be brought to market.
MARTAN x RE&UP
Named Grand Prize Winner of the programme at Global Fashion Summit in May, MARTAN was founded in Amsterdam in 2023 and saves discarded linen from luxury hotels and transforms it into high-end ready-to-wear, designed in its Amsterdam studio and produced in fair-wage EU ateliers. In just three years, the brand has diverted nearly eight tonnes of textile waste. MARTAN was paired with RE&UP, a circulartech company whose feedstock-agnostic recycling process turns blended textile waste, including cotton, polyester, and polycotton, into fibres and chips that rival virgin materials. Together, they created a black T-shirt from heavyweight rib jersey containing recycled cotton, finished with a MARTAN touch.
Sarah Ormond O’Neill x Everdye
Sarah Ormond O’Neill designs experimental, small-batch garments from reclaimed materials and luxury deadstock, guided by a “nothing goes to waste” philosophy. She was paired with Everdye, whose low-heat, low-energy pigments and dyestuffs reduce carbon emissions and energy use while aiming to eliminate toxic chemicals from dyeing. Together, they turned deadstock materials into a vibrant capsule collection, coloured using Everdye’s low-temperature dyeing.
LUCIA CHAIN x Leaf Bio
From her rural studio in Piedmont, Italo-Argentinian designer Lucía Chain creates gender-neutral, timeless pieces using salvaged natural fabrics, zero-waste patterning and organic dyes, and was named one of Vogue Italia’s “Next Green Talents”. She was paired with Leaf Bio, creator of BioFleax™, a fossil-free fibre made entirely from renewable plant resources such as agricultural by-products and discarded textiles. The result is a collection crafted with zero-waste tailoring, combining newly developed transparent fabrics, custom pleating and 3D-printed biopolymers.
Lore x Haelixa
Co-founded by Inga Nemirovskaia, Vienna-based Lore works with European natural fibres sourced from alpine regions, with every piece produced in Europe alongside regional shepherds and artisans. Lore was paired with Haelixa, a Swiss traceability company and ETH Zurich spin-off whose DNA markers create a forensically verifiable link between raw materials and finished products. Together, they created a traceable jacket made from Austrian Alpine wool, with the entire process taking place in Europe.
Canto Primo x Modern Meadow
Founded by Lola Catala and Carola Quaglia, Canto Primo transforms existing textiles, from deadstock and unsold inventory to second-hand garments, into high-end collections through structured upcycling, building a scalable production system that avoids virgin resources. The brand was paired with Modern Meadow, the bio-design company behind INNOVERA™, an animal-free material made from plant-based proteins, biopolymers and recycled rubber, with over 80% renewable carbon content. Together, they created a top-handle bag in INNOVERA™ with a structured interior and a soft exterior.
See how the five pairings brought their pieces to life in the video below.
