Charlotte Meek from The Stitch Society in Keighley is among the six high-potential entrepreneur award winners in West Yorkshire to receive funding and tailored business support from Innovate UK as part of their latest funding stream, a £6.2 million boost for future innovation leaders.
The Stitch Society has already won several business awards since its inception in 2013, for its ethical workwear and branded textile products. It has now been attracted the attention of Innovate UK, receiving a grant of £50,000 to support the firm’s pioneering responsible textile solutions for the textile industry.
Developing a circular business model for textiles, Charlotte’s concept aims to extend the garment or product life after its primary use, developing processes for managing the full lifecycle and care of fashion, household and other textiles. Working with Cath Rogan of Smart Garment their new digital design and connected-product technologies will help to reduce environmental impact while upscaling ambitions for cradle-to-cradle and user-centred design.
Charlotte is among the 233 high-potential innovators across the UK who have been awarded funding to further inspirational projects. Critically, the selected ventures will also receive 12 months of tailored business support to help them grow and stimulate the UK’s economy.
Charlotte says “We are delighted to have been awarded the grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s leading research and innovation agency. It has been great to have our work in the sustainability field recognised and the funding will enable us to develop vital circular solutions for fashion and textiles using design, product tracking, repair, reprocessing, resale and finally recycling rather than sending waste to landfill.”
In line with the UK’s growing appetite for innovation, this new award programme is among the most highly engaged funding competitions Innovate UK has ever delivered; with over 2,100 entrepreneurs applying for funding and business mentorship. It is a testament to the creative and inspirational drive of Charlotte Meek and her team at The Stitch Society to have secured this acclaimed funding which will carry the rich textile heritage of West Yorkshire forward to lead the way to a new sustainable future for the industry globally.