Avantex Fashion Pitch names finalists – Knitting Industry

Ten innovators compete to win the ninth Avantex Fashion Pitch in Paris

2nd September 2026

Knitting Industry | Paris

Knitted Outerwear

Ten innovators developing new technologies, materials and business models for the fashion and textile industries have been selected as finalists for the ninth Avantex Fashion Pitch

The international competition, organised by Messe Frankfurt France, culminates on 31 August 2026 with a Grand Finale in the Agora at Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris. The finalists will present their solutions before a jury comprising investors, industry professionals and fashion innovation specialists

An evening event at Le Balcon, the rooftop restaurant of Galeries Lafayette, will bring together finalists, jury members, partners and invited guests, culminating in the announcement of the 2026 Avantex Fashion Pitch winner

Messe Frankfurt France launched Avantex Fashion Pitch alongside its Avantex Paris trade show to identify emerging solutions with the potential to transform how fashion is designed, manufactured and consumed, while helping their developers gain industry visibility and accelerate growth

The competition is open to start-ups, innovative SMEs, NGOs, researchers and entrepreneurs developing products, services and technologies for the fashion and textile industries, with a particular emphasis on B2B and B2B2C business models

This year’s finalists span services, textile and raw material innovation, and design technologies

YAWYA, founded by Shikha Shah, is developing a body-scanning solution combined with an automated fitting service aimed at helping designers deliver bespoke fashion

Seconde Matière, led by Angela Hertault, operates a B2B marketplace designed to facilitate the sourcing, resale and management of surplus textiles, leather and fashion components

Ceyla Simeu’s YLI has developed a botanical treatment system for natural knitwear using selected plant extracts and mono-material design, while Altag, founded by Anne and Charles Reboux, transforms underutilised agricultural crop stems into a patented 100% natural fibre described as breathable, odour-resistant and skin-friendly

Iroony, co-founded by Myriam Chikh Mentfakh, produces next-generation cellulose fibres from European agricultural biomass including hemp, flax and miscanthus

LeLabPlus, founded by Amal Chebbi, combines artificial intelligence, 3D technologies and industrial cutting automation to transform deadstock and end-of-life products into premium fashion

PigmentOCO, founded by Félicie Bodin and Thomas Dargon, has developed proprietary supercritical CO2 dyeing technology for natural fibres including cotton

Ceylook, co-founded by Nigel Baldacchino, is an AI-powered wardrobe assistant that digitises clothing from a single photograph, creates personalised recommendations and connects consumers with ethical brands

The Adirelounge, founded by Valérie Chatelet, develops sustainable textiles using agricultural waste to produce fabrics and dyes through fair production methods

Completing the finalists is UseUp, founded by Eleni Exadaktylou, which optimises garment patterns during the design phase rather than after development, with the aim of reducing manufacturing costs and material waste

The competition follows the success of the eighth Avantex Fashion Pitch in 2025, won by GoldenEye Smart Vision by Apollo. Developed by founder and CEO Thomas Isnard, GoldenEye is an AI-powered quality control solution for textile manufacturers

The technology combines a proprietary high-resolution inspection system with self-supervised artificial intelligence to detect textile defects in real time without requiring large quantities of pre-labelled data. It also creates a digital twin of each fabric roll, supporting objective quality grading, traceability and data-driven production decisions

Partners supporting the 2026 competition include Circular Textile Days, Luxiders Magazine and creative strategy agency 001.AGENCY. Circular Textile Days is an annual B2B exhibition and knowledge platform in the Netherlands focused on circularity in the textile industry

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