Dempstah, a design practice that recycles Australian textile waste into spun yarn in collaboration with a network of international and local textile mills, has emerged as the winner of eBay Australia’s 2024 Circular Fashion Fund.
As the winner, Dempstah will receive $100,000, while the runners-up, RCYCL and The Very Good Bra, have been awarded $50,000 AUD each to support their circular business solutions.
A shortlist of seven finalists were invited to pitch their ideas to the judges, who selected the three overall funding recipients: Dempstah, RCYCL and The Very Good Bra, after pitching their business ideas to a judging panel of industry experts. The winner was announced at eBay’s office with the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, in attendance.
Participants were evaluated based on three criteria: innovation, circularity and business viability/scalability. Selected businesses showcased new or improved products or processes and offered creative strategies to address circularity in fashion. They also demonstrated scalability and a track record of success, indicating their ability to effectively utilise the funding.
“At eBay, our purpose is to provide economic opportunity for all, and we have a proud history of helping businesses grow through various grants globally,” eBay Australia’s Fashion Lead, Anne-Marie Cheney, said. “Circularity is the future of the fashion industry and we all have a part to play in making that transition. Initiatives like eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund are an important step towards achieving that goal, and we’re incredibly proud to have launched it in Australia this year. We know the businesses awarded today will drive positive change in the fashion industry.”
Guy Dempster, Founder of Dempstah (pictured), expressed his gratitude that eBay and the Australian Fashion Council are actively investing and driving circularity in the fashion industry.
“The Fund will go towards establishing a micro mill in North-West Tasmania, which will allow us to house and operate fibre recovery machinery and develop greater insight into this milling process,” Dempster said. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to find more mentors with experience in small-medium scale industrial domestic manufacturing.”
Marianne Perkovic, Chair of the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) Board praised the “inspiring” creativity and innovation across 2024 eBay Circular Fashion Fund Finalists. Perkovic said that, along with government support and industry collaboration, programs such as this one are essential to expedite our efforts towards our goal of a circular economy by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
In addition to the funding received, the three recipients will take part in a three-month program of mentoring, networking and workshops to learn how to market and scale their business.
eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund is a global initiative that began in the UK in 2022, with the mission to help scale and develop the circular fashion economy by supporting innovation and aligning with the fashion industry’s goals to achieve circularity by 2030. Over the next three years, eBay looks to form an international alumni of circular fashion businesses that will help realise the circularity goal.
