In collaboration with the Fashion Innovation Agency from London College of Fashion, UAL, Fashion District is pleased to announce the launch of ‘Retail Futures’. This Innovation Challenge Prize, sponsored by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is focused on SMEs who believe that their business could change the way we shop in future or even revolutionise the retail supply chain.
The Challenge Prize is designed to find solutions to industry issues and provoke the next big innovation. This may utilise robotics and automation, artificial intelligence, internet-of-things, augmented/virtual reality, technologies that enhance customer experience or converge digital and physical shopping.
The call out to all fashion and retail tech SMEs was held at Workable, a new workspace on the 19th floor of the new International Quarter London in Stratford, with a keynote kicking off the event by Sandra Steving Villegas, Head of Innovation at Founders Intelligence.
Applications will close on 30th September 2019 for the £15,000 cash prize, sponsored by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. The winner will also receive a 12-month membership with Stylus, our trends partner, providing access to essential cross-industry consumer insight. Shortlisted applicants will spend time with industry professionals who critique their proposition before they pitch to a panel of fashion and retail experts in November.
The judging panel includes; Myf Ryan, Chief Marketing Officer, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Carol Hilsum, Director of Innovation at Farfetch, and Richard Bonner Head of Store Development, John Lewis & Partners, Carien Beyer, Innovation Programme Manager from True and Matthew Drinkwater, Head of Fashion Innovation Agency, London College of Fashion, UAL.
With special thanks also to Carolina Neri, from Brunswick Group, who is supporting Fashion District communications on a pro-bono basis.
Download the presentation from the event here:
To apply for the Fashion District Innovation Challenge Prize 2019: www.fashion-district.co.uk/retailfutures
To apply for the DeFINE mentoring programme:
https://define-network.eu/get-involved/apply-for-mentoring/
To submit an expression of interest to London Fashion Fund:
http://www.londonfashionfund.co.uk/
To enquire about the Trampery Fish Island Village Studios & Sustainable Fashion Accelerator: https://thetrampery.com/workspaces/fishislandvillage/
To enquire about Workable: https://www.workable.london