Avantex Fashion Pitch

Irene is an investor and start-up operator who has dedicated her career to supporting climatech innovation. She has 14 years of experience investing in and commercialising clean technologies alongside startups and Fortune 100 companies across various industries including renewable energy, building technologies, new materials, mobility, food, agriculture, water treatment, waste management, circular economy, chemicals, and textiles. To date, Irene has invested in 38 climatech companies, providing capital and guidance to help them grow. She has also mentored and advised over 100 companies, supporting their efforts to build and scale globally. Through her work, Irene has directly supported these companies to raise over £70 million in funding to advance their sustainable solutions. Currently, Irene serves as an angel investor and adviser at PDS Ventures, where she focuses on sustainability, circular economy models, and next-generation materials specifically for the textile industry. Irene is Business Development Lead at Materra and is an adviser for a portfolio of breakthrough innovative materials (Amphico, Pact, Ponda and Biofluff). Irene is an Expert for the European Commission and European Innovation Council, a Mentor for the Royal Academy of Engineering and Senior Associate at Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership (CISL).

Elodie Lemaire Nowinski is both a historian of fashion and clothing and a specialist in fashion tech issues linked to innovation and sustainable development. After teaching and directing academic programs at Sciences Po Paris, Columbia University New York and EM Lyon Business School, she is currently leading the project for the future National Tartan Centre in Scotland, combining a museum and innovation center dedicated to the iconic Scottish fabric. She is also a research fellow at the Glasgow School of Art, where her research focuses on the place of textile design in the feminine experience.

Jayne Simone Estève Curé, international fashion expert, is passionate about educating, training and advising creative industry players in France and abroad. Her aim is to fuse creativity and strategy to support the visionary development of brands and projects. It aims to position fashion as a positive catalyst in a changing world, promoting responsible innovation aligned with global issues. As a teacher and advisor, she shares her experience to encourage excellence and innovation in the sector, where creativity and awareness unite to shape an enlightened future for fashion. Jayne is currently supporting the European expansion of the successful American brand L'AGENCE as European Fashion Director.

Claudia Cesiro is a marketing consultant specializing in branding and storytelling, with 15 years' experience in the luxury and lifestyle sectors: beauty, fashion, design. She creates brand concepts for companies and start-ups, and accompanies them on their growth path. After working as a marketing manager for Italian beauty companies for years, in 2016 she became an independent consultant with her brand, The Ace Projet, based in France. She also works as a mentor for start-ups with Le Village by Crédit Agricole, StyleIt and Fashion Technology Accelerator. She is also a tutor in the Master Fashion & Luxury Brand Management program at the Instituto Marangoni in Paris.