How The Mills Fabrica Provide Startups a Support System
What once operated as a cotton spinning mill now stands as a beacon of innovation in an industry in desperate search of sustainable solutions.
The Mills Fabrica, which has headquarters in both Hong Kong and London, works with budding businesses interested in bringing more environmentally friendly options and outcomes to the fashion and apparel industry. It supports startups to elevate their business models and, consequently, the building blocks of a more sustainable future.
Cintia Nunes, general manager at The Mills Fabrica, said the venture capital fund and incubator has a multitiered strategy toward working with startups.
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“We’re not just an incubator; in fact, we’re a one-stop shop. We have everything to support this ecosystem to become a better and more sustainable place,” she said.
The Nan Fung Group-owned VC and incubator serves as the innovation arm of The Mills, a techstyle hub situated inside old fabric mills. It offers investment to startups and supports young companies through its incubation program. Per Nunes, it also works to advance and educate the industry at large through thought leadership and advocacy.
Because one of its main goals in the fashion and denim spaces remains education—for brands, manufacturers and consumers alike—it uses its retail storefront, called Fabrica X, to show off the innovations and prototypes that come out of companies it partners with.
At Fabrica X, the attention is on denim for the first half of 2024. Nunes said The Mills Fabrica’s campaign “Denim Futures,” debuted in 2023 and will remain on exhibit through July.
The storefront features information about a slew of companies working to improve the denim industry’s supply chain—from startups like Unspun and Huue, to big-time players like Levi’s and Jeanologia. Consumers can purchase items created with sustainability in mind from Fabrica X, and they can also participate in a hands-on experience, which allows them to see some of the innovations in action.
Nunes said the culmination of Denim Futures represents a meeting of the minds, as well as a chance to share a trove of knowledge with consumers and other players, like manufacturers and brands.
“We strongly believe that sustainable denim requires the participation of the entire ecosystem,” Nunes told Rivet. “At the Denim Futures campaign, we strive to bring different players together to foster innovation and collaboration by sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas around sustainable solutions across the entire denim supply chain.”