From a University-led Accelerator to a Reality Shift: How To Create a Ripple Effect Within the Fashion Industry?
July 7th 2025
by Julie Sané-Pezet
Founder at Lume Impact
Head of The Green Thread Accelerator Programme
A three-month accelerator programme on « fashion sustainability »? Fashion. And Sustainability. How are we going to make this work? Is it foolish to try? Or is it greenwashing?
These thoughts definitely crossed my mind when Laura-Jane Silverman, Head of LSE Generate - the LSE’s entrepreneurship centre - asked me to design and run a startup accelerator focused on conscious fashion: the Green Thread. The scale of the issue seemed far too big for an early-stage accelerator programme to even scratch its surface, if we’re being honest. Yet, we quickly found guiding principles that convinced us that this is the time to be foolish.
Imperfect solutions over perfect utopias
There is a world in which everything is produced locally and where every worker gets the respect, recognition and retribution they deserve. This world is not one where we roam around naked and give up on everything that is not vital or necessary. It’s rather one where we don’t drown into production surplus and consume responsibly. One that is sustainable.
To many, the word « sustainability » itself sounds vain and dis genuine to discuss an industry that promotes trends over needs but, however we want to call it, we all know we need a shift towards this (now) utopic reality. Defining what we wish for is the first step towards building the strategy that will lead us there over time. This means two things.
We need a North Star to all align on. One that will trigger new policies, regulations, discomfort, change in our buying habits and innovation on new materials, product life cycle and business models. The Green Thread is a space to build this vision together.
We need to start somewhere. Call me Mrs. Obvious but as far as I’m aware, it’s impossible to go from zero to a hundred overnight. Everyone involved in the fashion value chain has to start doing something in the right direction and iterate from there. It might be one tiny step in a flawed model to start with, but this will also be a step we can build on.
Complex challenges like the one brought to us by the fashion industry will only be tackled by daring to try, fail, iterate and by continuously improving. That’s the essence of entrepreneurship and this programme was created to support founders and brands who are bold enough to take that risk.
Collaboration, Transparency & Accountability
Of course, we have to draw the line between fruitful collaboration and greenwashing, especially when onboarding both small and big players. We’re set on building real solutions for today’s world that will lead us to our North Star over time and bigger players can help us scale our innovators’ ideas. We don’t ask for perfect to join the crew, but we do ask for accountability and transparency.
Fight with your own tools: the power of the LSE
LSE, and Generate within it, is many things but, for us, it is first and foremost an incredible platform to support and promote values and best practices that will truly impact millions. It is research and expertise that can inform efficient new models. It is an unmatched network that can act as a magnifying glass for some of the most innovative and disruptive solutions out there. Tiny miracles that are already happening at the local level and will challenge the status quo with our support - and yours.