Congratulations to MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation student Irene-Marie Seelig who was a runner up in this year’s Mayor of London Entrepreneur Award. Irene, who won last year’s Kering Award at LCF, was at City Hall on Monday pitching Amadou Mushroom Skin to a panel of judges, which included perfumer and entrepreneur Jo Malone, Citi’s Chairman of Energy Banking, Niels Kirk, and founder of Bio-bean, Arthur Kay.
Entrants were asked to come up with creative solutions to the environmental and social challenges London faces. More than 300 entries from 37 institutions were narrowed down to the final shortlist, and Irene was part of that.
Irene’s pitch was on her research into Amado Mushroom Skin. It is a suede-like fabric, which is a biodegradable, renewable and antimicrobial substitute for leather. The skin is made from carbon-neutral mushrooms that can be found across London and that have been grown on recycled sawdust.
The 10 shortlisted entries from seven London universities spent the day pitching their ideas to the expert judges, and then faced the pressure of answering questions about all aspects of their ideas from the panel.
You have to be as passionate as your first kiss. You need creativity so when she whispers in your ear you turn around and say what was that? New small businesses are the new black. – Jo Malone MBE
Congratulations to the two students from City University that won the prize for their “Twipes” entry, and congratulations to Irene and the other finalists for presenting such inspiring ideas, on how to further incorporate sustainability into London life. Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London told the students:
My mission is to make London the greenest city in the world. Tackling this lies in harnessing the ideas of the young generation. Londons pioneering spirit and flare is more than a match for any environmental factors. You have the power to bring about the change that London needs.
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