Sustainability, upcycling, circular economy, these are just some of the themes that The Retouch is tackling as part of their new fashion technology solution. The Parisian startup successfully captivated the judges at IBM Studios Paris with their concept of tackling the problem of unused and old clothing at the back of peoples’ wardrobes. They aim to solve this by creating an online platform for garment maintenance services; meaning potentially millions of people in France will be able to instantly revitalise their existing wardrobes cost effectively and efficiently. This simple concept sees them being the first recipients of the Foundry x IBM Future Innovation Award, which grants them a place on the Startup Program based inside the fashion tech innovation lab at IFA Paris and be provided with exclusive mentoring from the IBM team.
“With the extraordinary opportunity to receive mentoring by the IBM Studios & Foundry Powered by IFA Paris, we hope to receive the necessary know-how to attain our objective to become the B2C market leader for online garment maintenance services.” – Andrea Herget, Co-Founder, The Retouch
Although just a fledgling startup, The Retouch co-founded by Andrea Herget, Jules-Adrien Neret and Andrea Millerand, has big ambitions to really modernise the garment retouching industry, which is still dominated by traditional independents. They aim to do this by offering a seamless and user-friendly journey online and offline, as well by integrating innovations such as 3D body scanning and digital fashion to maximise the customer experience. Their research so far indicates that the average household has approximately 114€ worth of unused clothing; meaning that the business potential is huge.
“IBM Studios Paris is proud to be a major partner in this initiative led with IFA Paris. We are delighted to support The Retouch, whose offering positions itself at the heart of current trends like circular economy and “slow fashion”, by bringing our capabilities in fashion tech and user experience.” – Arnaud Pelletier, IBM Studios Paris Director
The Retouch will be launching an online beta version of their services towards the end of 2020 as they progress through the 6-month incubation program. Foundry Powered by IFA Paris and IBM are working together to pioneer fashion technology in France, in which nurturing startups is one of the initiatives to have launched this year. The Startup Program has two cohorts per year and applications for the September 2020 cohort will open in June. For more information visit www.foundryftlab.com