Clothes are not very sustainable: high water use & pollution, short life cycle, made in low wage countries which results in a high transport burden. Antwerp is finding ways to a more sustainable fashion. Cosh! is a platform dedicated  to it. It has a sustainable label, offers shopping routes and is building a community. Cosh! is expanding to the Netherlands.  

6 alumni of the Antwerp Fashion Academy make silhouettes to be used on avatars in gaming or in the metaverse. The Antwerp startup Mutani helps them in digitalizing these silhouettes which are then listed on specialised blockchain platforms. The silhouettes are sold for money or NFT’s.  The goal of Mutani is to be the premier source for the most far-out fashion in the cyber-scene.  

RetailDetail's retail hub is the largest retail knowledge and inspiration center in the Benelux. It is located at the top of the famous Stadsfeestzaal in the core shopping area of Antwerp. Here you can experience the future of shopping and learn about all kinds of new digital technologies. The retail hub is a source of inspiration for retailers and encourages them to innovate.

The European funded smart retail area project, introduces 12 pilots in digital innovation both instore and in public space. It is about robots, smart labels, interactive displays etc. This project will help the city in its transition towards the new way of experience shopping, where on- and offline are closely linked. This project will strengthen the competitive position of retailers.

While Diamcad is an early adopter of innovation, HB Antwerp is the new kid on the block. This young company has realised a fully transparant and closed circuit diamond supply chain from the mine in Botswana to the manufacturing in Antwerp. HB Antwerp has developed an automated cutting machine and makes use of blockchain technology. Unseen in the diamond industry. Recently they introduced NFT’s for diamonds (non fungible tokens, the new buzzword in the Metaverse-world). And brand new is their HB Academy to train specialised workers.

Diamcad is an early innovator. It is a pioneer in graphic analysis and digital optimalisation in cutting diamonds. This has made Diamcad the worldwide market leader in analysing and cutting complex and big stones. It has developed its own Diamond Computer Aided Design system for this. Diamcad has invested in highly skilled experts and polishers.