Kent State University School of Fashion graduates, Phoebe Alicardi, Sabrina Fouitma Adjiri, and School of Architecture and Environmental Design graduate Jillian Eddy, had the unique opportunity to compete in the 2023 Hult Prize Challenge. Likened to the Nobel Peace Prize for students from around the globe, the Hult Prize inspires young people to solve world issues through social entrepreneurship.
The team made it to the semifinals with their business idea MISY, a sustainable fashion brand focused on using mycelium mushrooms to make a renewable material. Partnered with Guided By Mushrooms, a mushroom farm located in New Lebanon, Ohio, the team grows mycelium mushrooms. These mushrooms create a leather-like material and can be recycled at the end of the product’s lifetime to create more material. A unique property of mycelium is its ability to consume waste. The team hopes to feed mycelium plastic waste, oil spills and more.
While attending the semifinals at the Taipei Summit, in Taipei, Taiwan, the team networked with about 40 other student-led start-up teams. The team pitched their business, MISY, to the judges and placed in the top six out of 40 teams at the semifinals in Taipei.
“It [being voted top six] was such a great feeling to know that because of how excited we were to connect with teams all weekend, we ended up standing out with our ideas and being invited to pitch for all the judges,” said Phoebe Alicardi
Watch their pitch here
About the Hult Prize
The Hult Prize challenges young people to solve the world’s most pressing issues through social entrepreneurship. Every year, one team receives $1M USD in funding to make their idea a reality.
In the OnCampus Program, student volunteers, known as Campus Directors, organize training programs and community events at their universities focused on that year's Challenge. Winners of qualifying OnCampus programs will represent that university in the Semifinals at our Summits. Alternatively, teams can apply directly through our Open Application.
Over 200 Hult Prize Judges will meet in eight different cities to review the quarterfinalists' submissions and select up to 900 startups that will be invited to pitch in person in the Hult Prize Summits. Hult Prize hosted Summits in 12 cities across the world. Thousands of competitors pitched their social venture ideas to panels of experts. The winning teams from each of these summits earned a spot at the Global Accelerator.
Teams that make it to the Global Accelerator will go through a series of business challenges to fast-track building their companies. At the conclusion of the first phase, six startups will be selected to move to Phase 2. At the Global Finals, the six teams pitch their social ventures to a panel of distinguished judges with the hopes of being selected as the next winner of the US $1,000,000 Hult Prize. This year the event will be hosted in Paris, France in September.
About the School of Fashion
At the Kent State University School of Fashion, we revel in the creativity and confidence of our students. We believe you should be able to showcase your talent, which is why our fashion design and merchandising majors have the chance apply to apply their skills and innovation in real-world settings. This authentic experience has earned the school a consistent ranking among the best fashion programs in the world.
The KnitLAB The KnitLAB is home to advanced equipment for designing and creating knitted textiles. Here you can learn digital knitting techniques and create products of your own with unlimited pathways to creativity and innovation.
The School of Fashion shares its Rockwell Hall home with the Kent State University Museum. Here you’ll find one of the largest fashion- and design-focused collections in the country for inspiration.
Undergraduate students in the fashion design or fashion merchandising programs are also learning about best practices for implementing sustainable practices into the world of fashion. Sustainability is becoming just as important in the fashion industry as knowing how to sew or sketch a design.
Image: (left to right) Sabrina Fouitma Adjiri, Jillian Eddy, and Phoebe Alicardi at the 2023 Hult Prize Challenge.