Laura Feinstein from Manufacturing Materiality

Kickstarter helps bring projects to life and as the first crowdfunding platform with $7 billion pledged and 239,000 projects funded, so what new concepts have emerge with this aid? In the session Laura Feinstein, Senior Design and Tech Editor at Kickstarter, dives into how fashion and textile creators are breaking out of labs and turning cutting-edge materials research and circular products into must-see showstoppers—both online and in real-world showrooms.

Imagine walking in shoes made from coffee grounds, or accessorizing cactus leather bags, or your home lit by lamps manufactured from orange peels. What if I tell you that it’s for real?  Kickstarter helped turn these ideas into products.

Laura talks of Kickstarter as a way to provide a platform for creators to redefine innovation. The financial support allows them to produce small runs, fund product development, and real-world R&D, demonstrate market needs, and tell their stories in their own words. From transforming sustainability research into the thriving Nutshell Coolers to transforming a family-run Paris fashion house into the digital era with vegan materials, Kickstarter shows a system where creativity meets opportunity.