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The Big House Sustainable Fashion Accelerator

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About the programme

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund and The Midlands Engine, The Big House Sustainable Fashion Accelerator (SFA) programme helps small to medium sized businesses overcome the difficult technical and commercial challenges of adopting a sustainability strategy.

The programme aims to help you design and sell more sustainable fashion by sharing technical knowledge and expertise, promoting peer learning and innovative collaborations, and providing a test bed for you to overcome some of the challenges that you face.

The Big House SFA includes access to a workshop programme featuring information on alternative materials or ways to market sustainable fashion; networking and pitching opportunities with potential advisors, clients or investors; and expert mentoring. Participants will also be offered grants and access to student expertise and consultancy projects.

Why get involved?

The changes required to adopt a sustainability strategy can be challenging. The programme can help with:

  • minimising waste through design
  • identifying new materials and manufacturing processes
  • introducing eco-business models i.e. circular systems
  • understanding ways to measure and report on sustainability actions
  • developing and implementing a sustainability strategy
  • communicating and marketing sustainability activity with stakeholders
  • identifying sources of funding and investment

Eligibility

To access Big House support at Nottingham Business School, your business must be:

  • An SME (small and medium sized enterprises must have less than 250 employees)
  • In the creative or digital sector
  • Registered with HMRC or Companies House
  • Trading or ready to trade
  • In the D2N2 region

Small and new fashion businesses may lack the resources and impetus to change the whole supply chain, but they can be the source of amazing innovations that can lead to positive changes. Given the challenges they face, SMEs need a helping hand to enable them to find ways to make fashion more sustainable. The Sustainable Fashion Accelerator aims to provide that.

Lynn Oxborrow

SFA cohort at a kickstart event

SFA

About The Big House project

The Big House, ERDF and Midland Engine Logos

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the East Midlands Engine, the Big House programme is made up of a consortium of partners who offer a range of bespoke support to growing and established businesses within the creative and digital industries. The programme can help lift potential ideas off the ground and support the start-up process through to working with established businesses ambitious for growth.

Find out more about The Big House project

Email: bighouse@ntu.ac.uk
Visit: The Big House Nottingham Trent University

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