ELLE Talent Project 2024 Gives Recognition to a Circular Economy Startup at IE University
In the eleventh edition of the ELLE Talent Project, an initiative by ELLE, Inditex, and IE Foundation, the creativity of a young designer and her brand of recycled hangers with an attractive design and promising future has been recognized.
This morning took place the culmination of the ELLE Talent Project 2024, an initiative by ELLE magazine, Inditex, and IE Foundation, once again aiming to support Spanish creativity and talent, and to reward brilliant ideas that help society and advance the world in a positive direction.
In collaboration with Inditex and IE Business School, the ELLE Talent Project has been running this competition for eleven years, offering a prize of 25,000 euros to develop the project and a scholarship to pursue a Master in Management or an Executive Education Program at IE Business School.
This year’s jury included Ariel Rose Borrego, Director of IE Venture Lab, who joined Benedetta Polleti as the jury president, Geoffroy Gérard, General Director of IE Foundation, and Cristina Mateo, Associate Dean of IE School of Architecture and Design.
“We want to give you wings to take off and accompany you on your journey to the goal. You have shown strength, initiative, and a lot of creativity, everything necessary to succeed in any challenge you set for yourself,” highlighted Benedetta Poletti, Director of ELLE, addressing the finalists.
“At IE, we combine our strengths in this award by providing a mentorship platform through the Venture Lab and a scholarship that will give you the tools to make your dreams a reality,” noted Geoffroy Gérard, General Director of IE Foundation and jury member.
The five startups showcased their merits in the finale held at the IE Paper Pavilion and defended their projects both creatively and commercially.
After deliberation, the jury chose MENOS TRASH, a project by Carolina Carabajal that presents hangers made from pre- and post-consumer textile waste from fashion companies, without using plastic. With attractive designs and free of toxins, they represent a great sustainable alternative and a prime example of the circular economy.
The four finalists were Regina Farias with her brand TSISPA of heated wool coats, achieving the ideal combination of design and functionality; Castellar Montero with NOSE, a line of women’s scarves infused with essential oil-based aromas to awaken the senses; Celia Salvador with ULA, a brand of swimwear that allows sunlight to pass through; and Luisa Fernanda with SKIN TUNA, a project that aims to repurpose and valorize tuna skin waste and transform it into leather.