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Tommy Hilfiger, which is owned by PVH Corp., has revealed the two winners of the fourth Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, which is designed to amplify historically marginalized entrepreneurs, including Black people, individuals living with a disability, and women. The winners are Koalaa and Moner Bondu.
Koalaa, a British initiative that engineers comfortable, affordable and soft upper-limb prosthetics, as well as provides a supportive community, was awarded 115,000 euros in total (the 100,000 euro prize money and an additional 15,000 euros as “Audience Favorite,” chosen by Tommy Hilfiger associates).
Moner Bondu, a Bangladesh-based start-up that provides accessible and affordable mental health and well-being services to all, especially garment factory workers, women and youth across Bangladesh, was awarded 100,000 euros.
“As a global brand, we have a responsibility to amplify the voices of innovators committed to driving positive change in our industry,” said Tommy Hilfiger. “More work needs to be done to achieve true inclusivity across the fashion landscape. The positivity and entrepreneurship that each finalist brought to the table makes me hopeful that we’re heading in the right direction.”
The final event took place Thursday at the Tommy Hilfiger global headquarters in Amsterdam, where the program’s five finalists pitched their business concepts to a jury panel consisting of business and sustainability leaders. In addition to the prize money, the winners will benefit from a year-long mentorship with experts from Tommy Hilfiger and graduate business school INSEAD, in addition to a space in the INSEAD Hans Wahl Impact Entrepreneurship Program, which is designed to cultivate innovative leaders by bringing together people, cultures and ideas.
The fourth edition of the program launched in March 2022 with more than 250 applications received from social entrepreneurs around the world. In the lead-up to the final event, the entrepreneurs completed design sprints with Hilfiger experts where they presented their most pressing business challenges and developed practical solutions. They then refined their pitches by presenting to a select group of venture capitalists.
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