Fashion for Good

Fashion for Good does not take equity in the startups it supports and therefore does not make direct investment decisions from its own balance sheet. Strategic direction is led by Managing Director Katrin Ley. The affiliated Good Fashion Fund, managed externally, provides catalytic debt finance to manufacturing projects in Asia, with its own investment committee.

The organization runs an open call for its Innovation Programme, scouting startups globally through a network of corporate partners, research institutions, and on-the-ground scouts in key manufacturing regions. Shortlisted companies enter a structured validation process that includes pilots, life-cycle assessments, and supply-chain introductions, giving Fashion for Good early visibility into emerging technologies.

Neither. It is a hybrid initiative anchored by a foundation grant, combining a non-profit innovation platform, a corporate membership consortium, and a museum. The separate Good Fashion Fund is a for-profit impact fund that deploys debt capital, but Fashion for Good itself does not invest for financial return.

Fashion for Good does not make fund commitments or direct equity investments. It runs grant-funded accelerator programs and facilitates connections between its corporate partners and portfolio innovators. Deployment of catalytic capital into manufacturing upgrades is handled by the independently managed Good Fashion Fund.

The Innovation Programme targets early-stage companies with technologies at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and above. The Scaling Programme works with startups at a later stage that require customized support to reach industrial production, bridging the gap between lab validation and commercial supply-chain adoption.

Fashion for Good was initiated and is funded by the Laudes Foundation, previously known as the C&A Foundation. Laudes Foundation is an independent philanthropy that supports the transition to a climate-positive and inclusive economy. Fashion for Good operates as a distinct platform under this umbrella, with its own management team, brand, and governance.

The organization focuses exclusively on the fashion and textile value chain. It does not work with pure software plays, consumer marketplaces, or adjacent industries like cosmetics or food packaging, even when technologies appear transferable, maintaining a narrow mandate around raw materials, processing, and end-of-use circularity for apparel and footwear.