The sustainable fashion tech industry saw remarkable progress in 2024, with COSH (Conscious Shopping Made Easy) emerging as a leading force in changing how consumers find and engage with eco-friendly fashion options. Based in Bruges, Belgium, this innovative platform secured pre-seed funding of $538K and established itself as a comprehensive solution for conscious shoppers worldwide.
Pioneering Sustainable Shopping Technology
COSH! marks a significant step forward in fashion technology, designed to help consumers discover sustainable stores in their area while making conscious shopping both accessible and personalized. The platform’s unique approach combines location-based discovery with advanced personalization algorithms that can “tailor a shopping route based on your personal style & budget”. This innovative functionality addresses a major gap in the sustainable fashion market, where consumers often struggle to find eco-friendly options that match their individual preferences and budgets. Founder Niki de Schryver said, “Today, with COSH!, I want to help the fashion industry shift to a more circular economy.” This mission includes not just consumer education but also retailer support and brand advocacy, creating a holistic ecosystem for sustainable fashion commerce.
Remarkable Growth and Platform Evolution
2024 was a transformative year for COSH, with the company achieving impressive growth across multiple areas. The platform launched six new COSH! Shopping maps, more than 30 meet-ups, eight fashion tours, and the introduction of the innovative COSH! Digital Wardrobe App. Perhaps most notably, the platform now hosts over 850 local entrepreneurs, reflecting a substantial expansion of its sustainable retail network.
This growth came alongside major technological upgrades to the platform’s core functionality. COSH! Completely revamped its screening methodology, introducing an advanced COSH! Brand Index that examines a growing database of over a thousand fashion brands based on seven sustainability criteria far beyond fibres. The comprehensive evaluation system assesses brands across seven key themes: people, planet, supply-chain length, circularity, animal welfare, longevity, and transparency.
Advanced Sustainability Assessment Technology
The platform’s technological sophistication sets it apart from conventional shopping apps. The newly launched index system provides consumers with quantifiable sustainability scores ranging from 0 to 100, making complex environmental and ethical considerations accessible to everyday shoppers. De Schryver said, “The data from all transparency tools, labels, and certificates feed into our algorithm, resulting in an index for each brand as a whole.”
The assessment methodology goes beyond surface-level sustainability claims, incorporating detailed risk analysis based on materials, supply chain geography, and production practices. The system applies numerous corrective factors to the sometimes questionable LCA scores of materials that are often only measured from fibre to undyed yarn, failing to include the entire life cycle of a garment.
Expanding Global Reach and Impact
COSH!’s influence now extends far beyond its Belgian origins, with the platform fully established in Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Mechelen, Amsterdam, and Hasselt. The company’s international expansion accelerated through strategic partnerships, including its merger with the Spanish platform Ethical Time, which enables COSH! to positively impact the Spanish retail scene.
The platform’s growing influence in the fashion tech sector reflects broader industry trends toward sustainability and transparency. According to COSH!’s official site, fashion tech emerged as a significant sector in 2024, with sustainability-focused platforms gaining particular traction among consumers seeking alternatives to fast fashion.
Looking Forward
COSH!’s success in 2024 shows the growing market demand for transparency and sustainability in fashion. With its advanced technology platform, expanding network of sustainable retailers, and innovative assessment methods, COSH! is well-positioned to continue driving the shift toward more ethical and environmentally responsible fashion consumption.
