How the start-up Octo is changing the textile industry

Revolutionising the textile industry with their start-up - that's exactly what Alexandra Plewnia and Sarah Neumann from Octo have in mind. After winning the Salon des Créateurs, they are now getting support from the agency Brückner + Brückner, who are advising them on all matters relating to the design of their brand and the visualisation of their product.

For the eighth time, young founders faced the critical questions of the jury at the Salon des Créateurs. In the competition organised by the Design Metropole Ruhr and the Gründerallianz Ruhr, five start-ups competed in a five-minute pitch for design services worth 5,000 euros. And the winner is: Octo! With their idea of a sustainable, water-repellent yarn and the existing design needs in their early start-up phase, Alexandra Plewnia and Sarah Neumann convinced the jury led by Startup Ökosystem Manager Rebekka Bracht from Initiativkreis Ruhr. "This was one of the first times we pitched in a competition like this. The fact that we were able to convince the jury of us and the vision of Octo makes us very happy and motivates us a lot for the future," say Alexandra and Sarah. It was no coincidence that the two founders, who live in the Rhineland, decided to take part in the Salon des Créateurs, which takes place in Bochum. "There is a lot happening in the start-up sector in the Ruhr region. The support through networking events or competitions like this one is also really good," says Alexandra.

A sustainable alternative for the textile industry

With their start-up, the two want nothing less than to set the new standard for water-repellent textiles. "The textile industry is one of the dirtiest industries around," says Sarah. That's exactly what they want to change now: Through the environmentally friendly Octo yarn made from recycled plastic, which gives their start-up its name, there should be a sustainable alternative to textiles with environmentally harmful chemicals such as fluoropolymers in the future. And sustainability is not the only advantage of Octo yarn: a textile surface made with Octo yarn is unwettable, breathable, insulates against cold, reduces friction and even stays dry under water. These properties are thus particularly suitable for the production of technical textiles. But the potential goes far beyond that: "Whether in the outdoor and sports sector, personal protective equipment or even the shipping industry - the range of applications for Octo yarn is extremely diverse," the founders say.

With degrees in textile technologies and entrepreneurship, the two know exactly what they are talking about. They are currently still developing their start-up on a part-time basis and are therefore all the more pleased to have Brückner + Brückner at their side.

Cooperation with Brückner + Brückner: The joint desire for change

After the jury chose them as the winners of the Salon des Créateurs, Alexandra and Sarah were allowed to choose between the design agencies that had also presented themselves and their work in short pitches beforehand. They chose the Dortmund design agency Brückner + Brückner.

The two founders were immediately convinced by the work and the attitude formulated by Johannes Brückner in the design competition: "We have a clear rule that we select our projects according to ethical and moral criteria. We like to work for and with start-ups and companies that have a desire for change. That's why we are very pleased that Alexandra and Sarah have decided to work with us, because on the one hand the sustainable theme of their start-up is super exciting and on the other hand Octo is also still in a very early phase of its foundation and the need for design is accordingly all the greater," says Johannes, who runs the design agency together with his brother Philip. Their goal for the coming months: to define Octo's design needs together with Alexandra and Sarah and to explain and visualise the start-up as well as the functionality and advantages that Octo yarn offers.

The past Salon des Créateurs competitions and the resulting collaborations have shown time and again how important it is to think about design as early as possible when founding a startup. Alexandra and Sarah are therefore happy to have Brückner + Brückner as a design agency at their side. Because the next steps on the way to the textile revolution are already planned: The patent application, the application for a research grant and the search for investors. With a design that succeeds in making the environmentally friendly yarn even more tangible and present, they are now a step closer to achieving this goal.