Introducing the Trailblazer Programme 2025 Shortlist: Nine Innovations Shaping the Future of Fashion
Selected from a record number of global applicants, these solutions exemplify the potential to transform the fashion industry.
Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and PDS Ventures are proud to reveal the nine shortlisted innovators for the Trailblazer Programme 2025.
Entering its second year, the 2025 programme received over 200 applications from 44 countries across six continents, nearly doubling last year’s total and demonstrating the growing global momentum behind early-stage innovations within the fashion industry. Following a rigorous evaluation by an esteemed jury, Global Fashion Agenda and PDS Ventures were joined by representatives from Ralph Lauren, Fashion for Good, Zalando and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, selecting the final nine pioneering solutions to form the Trailblazer cohort.
Launched to accelerate breakthrough innovations and new to this year, the Trailblazer Programme 2025 introduces three key pillars serving as critical sustainability priorities for the future of fashion:
Working With Nature: Prioritises nature-driven solutions across the entire fashion supply chain.
Closed Loop Pathways: Innovations that foster a circular economy, minimise reliance on finite resources and ensure waste is reduced, reused, and recycled.
Tech Powered Transformation: Harnessing technological innovations that enhance visibility, efficiency, and accountability in the fashion supply chain, reducing environmental impact and optimising resources.
The shortlisted innovators will receive tailored mentorship, strategic industry exposure, and investment preparation support from PDS Ventures and Global Fashion Agenda throughout the programme.
Each shortlisted innovator will take part in a programme designed to refine their business models, strengthen their investment readiness, and enhance their opportunities for growth and collaboration.
At Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2025 (3-5 June), the nine Trailblazers will showcase their solutions within the Innovation Forum, connecting with industry stakeholders, brands, manufacturers, and investors.
The Trailblazer winner – selected by the jury based on their pitch and potential for systemic impact – will be officially announced at the Summit Celebration Dinner on 5 June. The winning innovator will receive an investment of up to USD 200,000 from PDS Ventures upon completion of financial and legal due diligence and final Investment Committee approval, alongside strategic commercial and operational support from PDS Group, including development and commercialisation assistance via the R&D and innovation focused subsidiary Positive Materials.
The Trailblazer Programme 2025 finalists represent some of the most promising early-stage solutions driving the fashion industry towards a more sustainable and resilient future. Register now to meet the solutions at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen this June.
Matereal leverages breakthrough chemistry and AI to help detoxify and decarbonise the plastic supply chain. Matereal presents Polaris™, a decarbonised, non-isocyanate polyurethane alternative. Polaris™ polymers are significantly less toxic than conventional polyurethane and up to 100% biobased. The first Polaris™ product line takes the form of thermoplastic chips for textile and footwear applications. The Matereal team has deep expertise applying these chips as coatings, films, laminations, and via injection moulding. Matereal also partners with leading companies seeking to create custom Polaris™ formulations via the Matereal™ AI Platform. This platform combines Matereal’s novel chemistry and AI to customise Polaris™ solutions to fit supply chain and impact needs.
FIBRE52™ is a patented wax-on, low temperature bleach and dye system that replaces outdated preparation methods for cotton and other cellulosics. This unique drop-in solution works with existing machinery, using bio-friendly products instead of harsh chemicals, such as caustic soda. These chemistries allow for quicker process times and significant reductions in water and energy usage, while also maintaining the cotton’s natural strength and softness. The FIBRE52™ bleach, scour, and dye system helps manufacturers reach all shades, including white.
OceanSafe AG is a Swiss polymer science company pioneering sustainable material innovation for the textile industry. OceanSafe develops and licenses high-performance, circular materials engineered to leave no waste behind. The company gained recognition in 2023 with the launch of naNea—the next-gen biodegradable polyester now successfully in use across the textile industry. OceanSafe continues to set new standards in scalable, more sustainable materials. Through the Trailblazer Programme, OceanSafe will introduce its latest material innovation: coNea. This patented, 100% bio-based biopolymer combines the natural feel of plant-based fibres with the processing advantages of synthetics via extrusion. Sourced from renewable feedstocks, including lignin from wood residues, coNea is biodegradable, non-toxic, and industrially scalable, offering a true drop-in solution for more sustainable textile manufacturing.
Refiberd uses hyperspectral imaging and AI to accurately detect the material composition of textiles. Its technology is a critical unlock for the textile recycling industry, which needs material and contaminants sorted to a high level of accuracy for efficient recycling. Additionally, Refiberd’s material identification system is transformative for resale authentication, enabling the identification of counterfeit products via material analysis. Refiberd’s technology also has applications for the traceability industry, serving as a third-party validation technology of the material data entered into digital product passports. By working across the textile value chain, Refiberd is looking to enable circularity and transparency for materials used in the industry.
Resortecs enables large-scale textile-to-textile recycling by simplifying eco-design and disassembly. It helps brands design for circularity from day one with Smart Stitch™—heat-dissolvable threads—and tailored eco-design guidelines. This makes disassembly easier and ensures traceability of materials. At end-of-life, Resortecs proprietary Smart Disassembly™ system recovers up to two times more material than standard pre-treatment methods, significantly reducing costs and delivering clean, consistent feedstock to recyclers. By focusing on high-value easy-to-collect product categories like workwear, mattresses, and sportswear, and establishing local disassembly hubs, Resortecs helps to eliminate unnecessary waste logistics and bring scalable circularity to life.
Tern
Tern enables retailers to build brand-owned, in-house circular programs that meet their customers’ changing needs and deliver against their business objectives. Tern’s easy-to-use, white-label, plug-and-play software seamlessly integrates into a retailer’s existing business, enabling them to own and operate trade-in, resale, repairs, upcycling, recycling, and donation programs – both in-store and online. Tern’s strengths are in the flexibility of its solution and unequivocal focus on delivering a service that enables retailers to own the entire customer journey; giving them complete control and flexibility over how they run their programs – and direct ownership of their second-hand market and customer.
Manny is AI for Demand-Centric Supply Chains, helping fashion brands and manufacturers shift from bulk production to responsive, on-demand manufacturing. Manny’s platform connects brands, factories, and fabric mills in real time — allocating orders based on live fabric availability, machinist capacity, and supplier capability. It generates production-ready tech packs, guides buyers on price–delivery tradeoffs, and manages AI-driven critical paths across multiple tiers.
eComID is a proactive, AI-powered Returns Reduction Platform tailored for retail fashion brands. Unlike traditional post-purchase return tools, eComID integrates seamlessly into the pre-purchase journey, helping brands reduce return rates, carbon emissions, and boost net revenue. The platform offers two key components: (1) on-site integrations such as AI-powered Size Finder, Green Nudging, Personalised Return Fees, and Bracketing Alerts to guide and incentivise shoppers toward mindful purchasing; and (2) a powerful analytics Portal for return insights. Backed by H&M Group, eComID currently partners with leading fashion brands like & Other Stories, J.Lindeberg, Björn Borg, and Gina Tricot, delivering measurable impact by shaping better shopping decisions before checkout. eComID was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025.
A significant proportion of textile materials become waste before even being sold. Managing this excess inventory is inefficient, time-consuming, and costly due to complex products, linear processes, and fragmented data—making it difficult to scale circularity. Musthad guides fashion brands toward a zero-landfill future through a data-driven platform that helps them turn textile waste and excess inventory into value. The Musthad platform enables brands to: Digitise, centralise, and process all waste data in one single platform; Instantly identify and activate the best reuse or recycling solutions; Monitor waste flows to ensure compliance; and track key savings (CO₂, €, kg). Musthad already supports leading brands in scaling circularity, generating an average potential saving of €1,350 per ton of waste.
We’ve seen the headlines. Tweets calling out unpaid wages. Stories that make the rounds, stir outrage, then disappear.
Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2025, the leading international forum for sustainability in fashion, will take place from 3-5 June 2025.
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