A decade of disruption on display

What happens when you dare to back the unexpected? When you see potential where others see risk – and bet not just on what is, but on what could be?

To mark ten years of doing exactly that, the Global Change Award brought together 20 trailblazing former winners – GCA alumni – for a special anniversary moment: the Global Change Award Alumni Exhibition. Hosted in partnership with long-standing partner The Mills Fabrica, the exhibition brought to life the tangible impact of bold ideas in the textile industry.

From idea to impact

Since its launch in 2015, the Global Change Award has supported 56 pioneering teams from 23 countries: from lab-grown cotton and microbial dyes to AI waste-sorting and graphene fibres. These ideas didn’t just push boundaries. They redrew them.

To honour their journey, the Global Change Award Alumni Exhibition spotlights 20 former winners who’ve transformed bold ideas into real-world impact. Each exhibit features physical prototypes, garments and materials that trace the path from idea to industry: revealing what’s possible when innovation is seen, supported and nurtured.

“Being part of the exhibition is humbling and inspiring. It’s a chance to stand alongside other brilliant innovators rethinking the future of textiles”, says Aida Abouelela, Co-founder of DyeRecycle and winner of 2023. “Showcasing the Dawn Pink Dress, made with 100% recycled dye at production scale, proves that circular solutions can be both scalable and beautiful.”

Renana Krebs, CEO of Algaeing, is one of the winners from 2018. On being part of the exhibition, she shared:

“It feels like reconnecting with the roots of a shared journey. It’s both a celebration of how far innovation in fashion has come, and a reminder of the urgency to keep moving forward. It’s about carrying that spark into the future, together.”

Journeys that sparked lasting change

For Renana Krebs, being selected as a GCA winner was the beginning of a long, but exciting road: “Winning the Global Change Award was a milestone that transformed our path. It provided global visibility, credibility, and access to an extraordinary network that continues to support and inspire. And it laid the foundation that enabled us to move from early innovation into a recognised force driving change.”

Aida Abouelela, adds:

“The Global Change Award was truly the spark that set our journey in motion. It gave us vital early-stage funding and access to a global network of industry experts, partners, and fellow innovators, helping us move from an idea into a viable technology.”

Looking into the next decade

Each story in the exhibition reinforces a simple truth: when promising ideas are backed early, they have the possibility to scale.

“This exhibition isn’t just looking back, it’s looking forward. These 20 teams are proof that break-through ideas can go the distance,” says Annie Lindmark, Programme Director at H&M Foundation. “When you give brave innovations the right conditions to grow, they don’t just survive, they reshape industries and unlock system-level change. That’s the spark we want to carry into the next decade of change.”