Digital Innovation in Fashion Contest launches

Announcing the launch of the ‘Digital Innovation Contest – Fashion’ in association with the British Fashion Council (BFC) and the Tech City Investment Organisation (TCIO), to encourage digital innovations that can be applied in the fashion and retail industry.

Offering four businesses the opportunity to develop innovative commercial prototypes that meet the broad objectives that have been set out, together with industry partners BOXPARK, Holition, the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE) and Designer-Manufacturer Innovation Support Centre (DISC), and Bauer Media/Grazia.

This contest is offering four awards of up to £25K to develop innovative solutions


Theme one: Design

• One award of up to £25k for the development of a prototype service or application for the “mass personalisation and customisation” challenge supported by London College of Fashion – DISC & CFE. 
• One award of up to £25k for the development of a prototype service or application for the “intelligent clothing and accessories” challenge supported by Holition. 

Theme two: Retail

• One award of up to £25k for the development of a prototype service or application for the “the mall of the future” challenge supported by BOXPARK. Read more.

Theme three: Media

• One award of up to £25k for the development of a prototype service or application for the “creating a communal and responsive experience through mobile technology” challenge supported by Bauer Media/ Grazia.

The contest is open to any company or developer; it is not necessary to have an existing app or service to apply, or to be currently active in the challenge sector. Applications will be judged on the level of innovation of the proposed prototype, which should meet the specific category challenge and show wider commercial potential and applicability. The applicants must also have a clear idea of the revenue earning potential/business model of their proposed solution.

In addition to the funding, winners of the ‘Digital Innovation Contest – Fashion’ will retain their intellectual property and benefit from the valuable opportunity to establish an early customer for their new technology, by running a minimum three-month trial with the relevant contest partner.

Deadline for submissions to the contest is 12 noon, Wednesday 12 July.

Full contest and application details are available here.