Ones to Watch: The Startups Leading Fashion Sustainability

The fashion industry is one of the world’s most polluting. It is responsible for up to 8 per cent of global carbon emissions and generates millions of tonnes of waste each year. From water-intensive cotton production to the rise of microplastics from synthetic fabrics, its environmental impact is vast and deeply embedded. 

Shifting toward sustainable practices requires change in how materials are sourced and how consumers buy and dispose of clothes. And now a new generation of startups is emerging to tackle these challenges head-on. One firm we look at is using a native wetland plant as a material while another is using the extraordinary Harry Potter-like innovation of expandable clothes that grow with a child. 

Here we explore the startups injecting a sustainable sparkle back into fashion…

1 | Radiant Matter

UK startup Radiant Matter develops and manufactures bio-based, shimmering textile finishes that are entirely plastic-free. Founded in 2020 by Elissa Brunato - whose background in the fashion industry gave her first-hand insight into its environmental toll - the company was born out of a desire to tackle the hidden harms of small embellishments like sequins and glitter. In the UK alone, 1.7 million sequined garments are sent to landfill each year, and microplastic particles from decorative materials rank among the top three pollutants in Australian wastewater treatment plants.

Determined to find a better way, Brunato turned to science, developing a breakthrough technology that mimics the structural colour seen in beetle shells and butterfly wings - achieving a shimmering effect without toxic dyes or microplastics.

Radiant Matter has quickly gained momentum. In 2023, it raised £1.4 million in seed funding led by The Baukunst Fund, followed by an additional £1.2 million in 2024 from Sustainable Ventures, Europe’s largest climate tech hub. Its materials are already being embraced by sustainability-focussed brands such as Stella McCartney and Been London. With science-driven innovation and environmental impact at its core, Radiant Matter is undeniably one to watch.

2 | Troubadour Goods

Troubadour Goods was founded in 2011 by friends and former colleagues Samuel Bail and Abel Samet, who set out to create high-end men’s travel bags that were both understated and built to last - avoiding heavy hardware, bold logos, and fast fashion trends.

In 2023, the company launched its first fully circular bag collection - products designed to be used for as long as possible, and then repaired, resold, or recycled at the end of their life. The project took several years to develop. “We could only consider that because our investors understand this is better for us, and for the industry,” Bail said in an earlier interview. “We wanted to put something out there that the bigger brands would notice… That’s a long-term game.”

Today, Troubadour makes a range of bags - backpacks, totes, briefcases, and duffles - with a focus on comfort, performance, and longevity. 

Its flagship London store includes a repair and trade-in service, allowing customers to return old bags in exchange for store credit. Returned items are either refurbished and resold or recycled through the company’s circular model.

Troubadour now sells through retailers including Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, and what began as a side project has grown steadily into a seven-figure business—built on slow growth, strong values, and bags designed to go the distance.

3 | Petit Pli

London-based startup Petit Pli is reinventing children’s clothing through design-led sustainability. Founded in 2017 by designer and engineer Ryan Mario Yasin, the company set out to solve a problem familiar to every parent: how quickly kids outgrow their clothes. The solution? Expandable garments that grow with the child - dramatically reducing waste and the need for constant replacements.

Inspired by Japanese origami, Petit Pli’s patented textiles stretch in both length and width, adapting to fit up to seven sizes. Made from recycled materials, including fabrics derived from plastic bottles, the garments are waterproof, windproof, and stain-repellent, combining sustainability with durability.

The company’s impact and ingenuity have not gone unnoticed. Petit Pli has raised $1.53 million from investors including Regeneration VC, Crowdcube, and the H&M Foundation, alongside grant support such as a €100,000 award from Amazon to further its sustainable mission.

Petit Pli is also scaling its technology beyond childrenswear - branching into adult apparel, including maternity wear, to bring adaptable, low-impact clothing to a wider market.

As the fashion industry grapples with overproduction and waste, Petit Pli offers a compelling case for designing clothes that are built to last - and built to adapt.

4 | Ponda

Ponda is a UK-based biomaterials startup developing alternatives to traditional insulation materials used in fashion. Its signature product, BioPuff, is made from Typha Latifolia, a native wetland plant that naturally regenerates ecosystems. Lightweight, water-repellent, and with a high warmth-to-weight ratio, BioPuff is an effective, lower-impact alternative to both down and synthetic fills.

Unlike conventional materials, producing BioPuff has regenerative environmental effects. The process sequesters carbon, supports biodiversity, and encourages sustainable farming practices. According to the company, each kilogram of BioPuff produced removes over 42 kg of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

By turning a common plant into a high-performance textile, Ponda is building a circular model—one that links material innovation with ecological restoration. The company is already working with brands like Berghaus, supporting them in reducing their reliance on fossil-based and animal-derived materials, and exploring greener approaches to outerwear production.

5 | Manny AI

UK fashion tech startup Manny AI is applying artificial intelligence to one of the industry’s most persistent problems: overproduction. Its platform helps clothing and footwear factories in capacity planning, pricing, and order negotiation - converting orders into production hours and allocating resources more efficiently.

The goal is to help factories respond more flexibly to demand, without overcommitting materials, labour, or time.

Founded by researcher and design engineer Shruti Glover, and data scientist, Simon Johnson, the startup has already secured $1.58 million in pre-seed funding to build out its platform.

The startup’s approach aligns with the European Union’s push to reduce overproduction and overconsumption in the fashion sector. Rather than requiring major investment in new infrastructure, Manny AI’s aim is to empower existing factories, providing tools that support more efficient and sustainable production cycles.

The model has already been tested in a micro-factory in South London while collaborating with various brands including Good Squish, Phoebe English, LRD and Avie Studio.