The Seam wins Circular Fashion Innovator Fund’s grand prize

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Mar 7, 2023

On-demand tailoring business The Seam has been awarded the latest Circular Fashion Innovator’s Fund (CFIF) grand prize in recognition of its innovation and approach to sustainability.

The eBay UK and British Fashion Council (BFC)-backed award comes with a £10,000 grant to help accelerate the business’s growth.

Layla Sargent, founder and CEO of The Seam, said that the funding would help it develop its data and insight capabilities “to drive behavioural change within the industry.” 

She explained: “By developing our data, we will focus on informing consumers of their carbon savings and the increase to resale value when they repair a pre-loved garment. We will also use insights to inform brands about the lifecycle of their products to encourage greater circularity.”

The CFIF scheme aims to help small businesses that are providing sustainable fashion solutions to grow, “by bringing new technology and services to the market that can help people think and shop differently”.

The fund, which launched in December, has already awarded six businesses – including social fashion rental app By Rotation and the Circular Textiles Foundation – £100,000 of grant funding, as well as mentoring from industry leaders. 

The Seam provides an on-demand tailoring service, which makes clothing alterations and repairs accessible through tech. It has already completed more than 10,000 repairs and provides white-labelled care and repair services to fashion retailers.

Lucy Peacock, Head of Pre-loved, eBay UK, added: “The Seam are true pioneers of circular fashion, and a real source of inspiration for the industry.

“It’s fantastic to support them as they grow, and we will be there every step of the way as they develop their data capabilities to influence consumer behaviour and support brands to extend the lifecycle of their products. 

“It’s our goal to leverage our industry expertise and connections to help more businesses at the forefront of the circular economy, and last year we saw a 24% in new circular fashion businesses listing on our platform.”