AWARD YEAR
2023
CATEGORY
Body
GOALS
Responsible Consumption & Production
KEYWORDS
shoes, sustainable textiles, biotechnology, fashion production, sustainable fashion
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
Simplifyber
WEBSITE
https://www.simplifyber.com
Simplifyber
Molded shoes made in a lab, not a factory
How does it work?
The footwear (shoe “uppers”) and clothing are made with chemistry and biomaterials rather than with sewing machines, eliminating much of the waste, carbon emissions, and water pollution that have led to fashion’s devastating environmental and social impact.
Why is it needed?
For hundreds of years, there have been two primary manufacturing categories of soft goods: wovens and knits. But now there’s a new category: Simplifyber. They fully want to replace woven and knits, as their process reduces the complexity of today’s supply chain by 60%, overhauling fashion’s outdated factory system and replacing it with sustainable, advanced manufacturing.
How does it improve life?
Simplifyber wants to change the way footwear and clothing are created. Through cellulose-based material, and their ground-breaking molding processes, they're transforming the world's $1.9 trillion Footwear and Apparel industries (and centuries-old factory system) into sustainable, additive manufacturing. They're on a mission to transform the world's Apparel and Footwear Industries through a proprietary, fully-biodegradable material formula and sustainable additive manufacturing system.
In July 2022, Simplifyber raised a $3.5M round of seed funding, led by At One Ventures.