Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge 2021

A global program to find and support the new ideas that are making the fashion landscape more inclusive.

ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENEUR WORKING TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY?

We want to hear from you! Apply now for the third edition of the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge!

We have set out to do everything in our power to create fashion that is more inclusive. Stitch by stitch, person by person, innovation by innovation. We’re determined to push boundaries – so we know that some of the best ideas won’t always be our own.

Launched in 2018, the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge is an annual program to discover and accelerate the work of the world’s most innovative and impactful fashion startups. Through mentoring and financial support, we want to help the best ideas breakthrough.

Building on Tommy Hilfiger’s sustainability vision to Waste Nothing and Welcome All, this year’s program strives to amplify and support black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs who are working to advance their communities and foster a more inclusive future of fashion.

“I HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THIS TALENTED GROUP OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS WHOSE INNOVATIONS ARE MAKING THE FASHION LANDSCAPE MORE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE.” – MR. TOMMY HILFIGER

Eligibility

The global Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge is an opportunity for entrepreneurial startup and scale-up stage businesses that are developing solutions that have a positive social impact on the fashion value chain.

Startup: Your business is in the early stages, yet to reach product-market fit, experimenting with customer segmentation and working toward overall positive contribution margin. Your company has made some revenue.

Scale-up: Your business has a validated product with product-market fit, clear and sustainable unit economics (outlook), and is in growth mode. Your company has made revenue for at least a year.

The Journey

Over a multi-stage process, applicants will be narrowed down to six finalists who will be invited to develop their project plans virtually with the support of dedicated Tommy Hilfiger and external subject-matter experts. With training from an experienced pitch coach, finalists will present their final concept at the global Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge final event to be held in early 2022.

CALL TO ACTION – Interested businesses are invited to submit project proposals that focus on inclusive fashion.

DIGITAL VOTING – Internal Tommy Hilfiger associates and selected consumer judges digitally review applicants to take a top selection of 50 applications through to the Boot Camp.

THE BOOT CAMP – During a three-day process, 25 Tommy Hilfiger experts and 15 INSEAD alumni come together virtually to narrow the best 200 applications down to the top six using a rigorous seven-filter process.

DESIGN SPRINT – In partnership with OneUp, the six finalists are invited to attend a digital intensive impact venture design thinking accelerator. The finalists work with a team of designers and Tommy Hilfiger experts to bring a solution to their biggest business challenge.

FINAL EVENT – A prestigious jury panel selects winners to receive the prize fund of €200,000. An additional €15,000 is awarded to the finalist who wins the “Audience Favorite Vote.” The winners also receive a year-long mentorship with Tommy Hilfiger’s experts, as well as a place in the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program (ISEP).

Benefits for the Winners

A prestigious jury panel – including Mr. Tommy Hilfiger – selects winners to receive the prize fund of €200,000. An additional €15,000 is awarded to the finalist who wins the “Audience Favorite Vote”. The winners also receive a year-long mentorship with Tommy Hilfiger and INSEAD experts, as well as a place in the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program (ISEP).

Past Winners

Past winners include Selina Wamucii, a mobile platform connecting smallholder farmers in Africa to global distributors; doctHERs, which digitally connects Pakistan’s female doctors with the factory workers who need them; and Auf Augenhoehe, a fashion label developing styles for people affected by dwarfism. Winners of the second edition include Apon Wellbeing, a Bangladesh scale-up that improves the life of factory workers through affordable health insurance and A Beautiful Mess, a Dutch makers space that assists refugees to realize social and economic independence.