Fashion-focused e-learning platform Motif raises $2m

Motif, an online knowledge and education hub focused on the fashion and textile industry, has received US$2 million from Hong Kong-based textile-tech startup enabler The Mills Fabrica.

Photo credit: The Mills Fabrica

Launched in 2018 by parent company Alvanon, Motif provides users with lessons on industry topics and training on fundamental, technical, business, and creative skills.

Most of the courses available on the platform are developed in-house, with some being sponsored by or co-created with a growing list of industry partners including Alvanon, Li & Fung, and Textile and Fashion Industry Training Center in Singapore.

With the deal, Motif will be able to access The Mills Fabrica’s network of industry stakeholders, according to a statement.

“We have spent the past year and a half validating our mission and solutions with global brands and supply chain players,” said Motif CEO Catherine Cole. The company will now be able to bolster its online content offering and learning resources with the strategic investment, the head exec added.

According to the statement, Motif’s wider vision is to build a collaborative platform that allows brands, retailers, and manufacturers to contribute their knowledge towards educational content for the fashion industry.

The Mills Fabrica is a business incubator, fund, and space provider for “techstyle” startups and companies at the intersection of technology and style.

The company, alongside Austria-based textile fiber firm Lenzing Group and online fashion training course Omnilytics Fashion Academy, partnered with The Textile and Fashion Federation, Singapore’s official association for the industry, to launch The Bridge Fashion Incubator for local startups in the fashion and retail technology space.