In an ongoing mission to uplift and empower regional trailblazers, Vogue Singapore has partnered with luxury manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles BMW for the latest iteration of the Vogue Singapore Innovation Prize.
The Vogue Singapore x BMW Innovation Prize 2023 saw businesses from all around the region participate in an intensive two-day bootcamp that featured various industry figureheads as guest speakers. Following that, ten shortlisted brands moved on to a four-week mentorship phase where they received invaluable advice and coaching from experts such as couture designer Sohee Park, vice president of global partnerships at Farfetch Alexis Bonhomme and BMW’s research engineer Dr. Stella Clarke.
The ten businesses were then evaluated by an internal jury which judged the participants on their product innovation, marketing plans and ability to execute. From there, three finalists were selected and presented their ideas to an external VIP panel which included notable names from creative editorial director of Vogue, Mark Guiducci to BMW’s vice president of brand communications and experience Stefan Ponikva.
This year’s winner is set to be unveiled at Vogue Singapore’s Next In Vogue gala next month, and will walk away with a $15,000 cash prize, media coverage across Vogue Singapore’s various platforms, feedback from global industry leaders, and access to an array of potential investors.
Below, read on for an introduction to the three finalists and the ethos behind their trailblazing brands.
COzTERRA
Driven by a goal to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change, COzTERRA is a research and development brand that prides itself on utilising AI to produce new materials that are eventually incorporated into fabric textiles. Boasting a business to business (B2B) transaction model that is similar to that of other popular garment technologies—think Lycra and Gore-Tex—the brand is currently developing a carbon-capturing technology that is set to absorb green house gases emitted into the air. These gases are then transformed into stable and inert materials which are released harmlessly during the washing process while the carbon capture surface recharges, creating a seamless and efficient cycle.
Accelerated by The Bridge Fashion Innovator—a sustainability program championed by the Singapore Fashion Council—COzTERRA is also in discussion with several brands, textiles mills and chemical companies on scaling up the production and treatment processes.
KIKI
For all the beauty fiends out there, KIKI is the newest brand to have on your radar. With an emphasis on building a community-driven beauty platform, the brand’s product launches and designs are decided by its members through a voting process on its interactive portal. Named KIKI World, the digital site offers tons of incentives in the form of creative collectibles, rewards and early access to new products. A sense of co-ownership between the brand and its customers is also built through an individual chain ID that each KIKI World member has, which stores data that tracks their beauty preferences and purchasing habits.
Apart from all the digital perks, each KIKI product is also designed and packaged in a hyper-contemporary way. It’s inaugural product—the Pretty Nail Graffiti™—sees a versatile peelable nail polish that is packaged in a refillable smartpen, allowing users to switch up their nail colour on the go.
SPIN.FASHION
SPIN.FASHION is a Web3 retail marketplace that prides itself on helping brands and creators monetise their products through phygital NFTs. With an extensive network of blockchain-enabled systems, various businesses can upload and manage their products efficiently, which is beneficial in building a dedicated customer base. There is also a marketplace for shoppers to effortlessly engage with these digital products, with the various buy and sell functions presenting a digestible and seamless way.
Having piloted this programme since 2019, the business has now amassed an impressive list of partners such as The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, H&M, Vogue Philippines and even FIFA World Cup. In January of 2023, SPIN.FASHION also launched the first and largest luxury meta-retail exhibition titled ‘Web3 Fashion—The Origin Story’, which spotlighted 26 circular products across over 40 designers and innovators.
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