Two shoe brands in French incubator platform’s 2022 cohort
Au Delà du Cuir (ADC), an incubator body for leather-sector start-ups in France, has chosen six companies to take part in its 2022 programme.
ADC, whose name means ‘beyond leather’, selects a new cohort in the autumn of each year and takes the successful applicants under its wing for up to three years. Criteria for inclusion are that the companies have to be recent start-ups, and to have turnover of more than €50,000 (to be part of the Emergence programme) or €250,000 (for the Growth programme). ADC says that they should make products that are “unusual, desirable and creative”, preferably manufactured in France or another part of Europe.
It also expects the people running each company to be able to show that they are ambitious and have the capacity to run a business and also be part of a team.
Through ADC, the successful companies can then tap into the extensive “knowledge patrimony” that exists in the French industry and use it to grow their businesses.
A jury, headed by Karine Arabian, designer and chief executive of Paris-based accessories brand JN Mellor Club, announced the 2022 ADC cohort in mid-November.
The six companies include sneaker brands Philéo and MoEa.
Philéo describes its offering as high-end luxury sneakers with a minimalist design and “clear precise lines that you won’t be able to forget” (see image).
For its part, MoEa has incorporated material from different fruit and vegetable sources into its shoes, matching the colour of the sneakers to that of the raw material. Options so far include corn, grape, pineapple and cactus.
