Awards & Accolades
Rwanda-based eco-friendly shoe brand, UZURI K & Y, which uses recycled tires from sub-Saharan Africa and employs local young people, has been announced as the joint winner of the 2021 Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge. Kevine Kagirimpundu, co-founder and CEO of UZURI K & Y together with Ysolde Shimwe, CFO & Co-Creative designer, were awarded the prize of € 100,000. Speaking about the recognition and award win, Kevine said: “We are honored to be the winner of the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge. This opportunity provided us with mentorship and strategic guidance, and a platform for sharing our dream of bringing sustainable shoe options from Africa to the global market. We are dedicated to creating a real impact and inspiring young people today to build a cleaner future.” The other join winner was Lalaland, a Dutch-based platform that uses artificial intelligence to generate customized and comprehensive synthetic models of different ethnic groups, which was also awarded € 100,000.
A jury, including change-makers Yara Shahidi and Tommy Hilfiger, awarded the €100,000 prize money and a mentorship award package to UZURI K & Y as co-winners of the 3rd Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, a dedicated global program aimed at finding and supporting ideas that lead to a more comprehensive fashion landscape. Tommy Hilfiger’s mission is to be a sustainable, sustainable designer lifestyle company that welcomes everything without wasting anything through product creation, operational management, community and stakeholder connections. The UZURI K & Y team will receive one year of guidance from Tommy Hilfiger and INSEAD’s in-house experts, one of the world’s largest graduate business schools. They also secured a place for the INSEAD program to connect people, cultures and ideas to develop innovative leaders.
In January 2021, more than 430 startups and scale-ups from 22 countries submitted ideas for this initiative. This reflects Tommy Hilfiger’s vision for sustainability in Waste Nothing and Welcome All. This year’s program specifically aimed to expand and support black, indigenous, and colored (BIPOC) entrepreneurs working to develop the community while fostering a more inclusive future for the fashion industry. Speaking about the initiative, Tommy Hilfiger said, “This powerful challenge has brought together passionate and hard-working individuals with fresh ideas on how to create a fashion future that we all can look forward to. This was an impressive last event. We are proud to continue this journey with entrepreneurs who have presented groundbreaking and influential solutions that challenge our thinking, construction and creation.”
The judges who oversaw the final event of the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge were: Tommy Hilfiger, Martijn Hagman, CEO, Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe, Yara Shahidi, award-winning actress, producer and change agent; Esther Verburg, EVP, Sustainable Business and Innovation, Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe, Adjunct professor of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship and INSEAD entrepreneurship, technology and media; Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, Founding Curator of Amsterdam Global Shaper Hub; and Yvonne Bajela, Founding Member and Principal of Investment Company ImpactX Capital.
The fourth application for the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge will begin in March 2022. Entrepreneurs interested in receiving more information should register at https://platform.younoodle.com/competition/thffc_2022.
To read the Lioness Weekender cover story of Kevine Kagirimpundu, CEO & co-founder of UZURI K&Y, click here:
