Salty Co won the first Vogue YOOX Challenge

Nov 26, 2020

With their freshwater-free plant-based fabric contributing to sustainable fashion

Congratulations to SaltyCo for winning the Vogue Italia x YOOX award!

SaltyCo, the Venture Catalyst Challenge 2020 finalist, has been selected as the winner of the first ever Vogue YOOX Challenge – The Future of Responsible Fashion. The award is a joint programme organised by Vogue Italia and YOOX recognizes innovations that contributes to sustainable fashion. As the winning team, SaltyCo will receive a €50,000 prize alongside a mentored support with YOOX and a feature in Vogue Italia December edition.

SaltyCo is the first company that produces vegan, carbon-negative fabric using plants that can grow in dry and salty terrains watered with seawater. Their idea is to preserve freshwater, a highly scarced resource where it only accounts for 3% of the total amount water on the planet, through providing a sustainable textile option to the fashion industry.

This project is started in 2020 by Julian Ellis-Brown, Finlay Duncan, Antonia Jara, and Neloufar Taher from the MA(RCA)/MSc Innovation Design Engineering (IDE) programme. The team was selected for the Green Product Award as well as category winner and finalist of the Venture Catalyst Challenge 2020.

Meanwhile another Imperial team Petit Pli, a children wear brand that produces clothes that grow with children, was also nominated as finalist for the award with their dedication to tackle waste and promote sustainability in the fashion industry.

The Venture Catalyst Challenge is 7 week programme of evening masterclasses with 1-to-1 coaching that helps students and alumni to bring their innovative commercial ideas into reality. The VCC 2021 is open for application from 3 Dec 2020. Find out more about the Venture Catalyst Challenge.

What's on

Upcoming events

Discover what’s on (online, of course!) at Imperial Enterprise Lab

How To Build a Financial Model
How To Build a Financial Model

Event dateMarch 29, 2023

Learn the fundamentals on how to assess you idea’s potential to become a business. Sign up

How To Pitch Your Idea
How To Pitch Your Idea

Event dateApril 28, 2023

Learn how to bring your idea to life with words and pictures that connect with your target audience. Sign up

What's on

From community events to expert masterclasses… There’s always something going on at the E-Lab

Next events

How To Build a Financial Model
How To Build a Financial Model

Event dateMarch 29, 2023

Sign up
How To Pitch Your Idea
How To Pitch Your Idea

Event dateApril 28, 2023

Sign up

Connect

Join our community, meet co-founders and grow your entrepreneurial network!

Our monthly social bringing together students and postdocs from every corner of Imperial College London.

Our multi-purpose space is open to all Imperial students postdoc researchers and alumni 5-days a week.

Use your creativity and critical thinking to solve a challenge set by us. Spaces are limited so sign up ASAP!

Explore

Speak to someone about your idea and learn the skills you need to test it in the real world

Validate

Fast-track your idea on one of our cohort-based entrepreneurship programmes

Imperial’s flagship entrepreneurship programme for students and postdocs with an annual prize fund of £90K.

The UK’s leading university programme championing women-led startup teams with an annual £30K prize fund.

A unique programme designed to speed the commercial development of early-stage medical technologies

All available programmes

Grow

Get expert support and advice to turn your idea into a successful commercial venture

About

We’re passionate about inspiring the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs

Contact

Got a question, need some advice or just need directions to the best basement on campus? Get in touch!

Find us

Imperial College London
Level 0, Sherfield Building
(Access next to Great Hall)
South Kensington Campus
Exhibition Road
London SW7 2AZ