Atelier by ISEM

What Atelier by ISEM does

Atelier by ISEM is a fashion technology innovation forum and accelerator program operated by ISEM Fashion Business School, which is part of the Universidad de Navarra in Spain. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Madrid, the platform's stated mission is to connect technology startups with established Spanish fashion companies in order to transform the fashion and retail value chain. Its flagship activity is the Fashion Innovation Day by Atelier, an annual event built around three components: a keynote conference on fashion-tech innovation, presentations by selected startups, and an award ("Mención Especial") given to the most innovative startup as selected by the participating advocate brands. The platform runs on a fixed annual calendar — startup application call, selection, confirmation, and main event — with the 2026 edition opening applications on December 5, 2025 and running the main event in March 2026.

The core product is the Fashion Innovation Day event itself. The underlying "technology" is a structured matchmaking format rather than software: a curated funnel of technology startups is reviewed and pitched to a jury of innovation leaders from Spanish fashion and retail companies. Atelier has assembled a network of twelve advocate brands for the 2026 edition, including El Corte Inglés, Desigual, Tendam, Camper, Mayoral, Bimba y Lola, El Ganso, Ternua, Multiopticas, awwg, Boboli, and T2T Solutions. Past "Mención Especial" recipients have been Senstile (2022), Dawa (2023), and Modelia (2025). The team is small (approximately 7 staff), with named leads for Innovation (Gustavo Pego), Institutional Relations (María Martín Montalvo), and Communication (Carmen García Herrer).

Atelier by ISEM is not structured as an independent commercial enterprise. It operates as an initiative within ISEM Fashion Business School, has no disclosed revenue or pricing, no external funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no independent ownership structure. Distribution and marketing are concentrated in a single annual event and the ISEM institutional website/blog. Reach is inherently bounded by the annual-event format and a Spanish-market focus, and the business model appears to rest on reputational and academic value to ISEM/Universidad de Navarra rather than direct monetization of the forum itself.

Name

Atelier by ISEM

Legal name

Atelier by ISEM Fashion Business School

Website

https://atelierbyisem.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atelier by ISEM is a fashion-tech innovation forum run by ISEM Fashion Business School (Universidad de Navarra) that hosts an annual Fashion Innovation Day connecting Spanish fashion companies with technology startups developing retail value-chain solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion Industry Innovation Forum

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle Shows Organizers (THAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG)

Keywords

• Fashion tech innovation
• Startup accelerator forum
• Fashion industry events
• Innovation networking platform
• Retail technology conferences

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Atelier by ISEM operates the Fashion Innovation Day, an annual forum that brings together Spanish fashion companies and technology startups. The event features a knowledge conference on innovation, presentations of startups with the strongest potential for the retail sector, and an award (Mención Especial) given by advocate fashion companies to the most innovative startup. The program runs a structured annual calendar including a startup application call, selection process, and the main innovation day.

Product overview

Atelier by ISEM is a fashion technology innovation platform operated by ISEM Fashion Business School (Universidad de Navarra). The core offering is the Fashion Innovation Day annual event, which serves as a forum connecting established Spanish fashion companies with emerging technology startups. The platform operates through a structured calendar including startup calls, selection processes, and the main innovation day event. The portfolio includes the Fashion Innovation Day (the main annual event) and the Mención Especial (Special Mention Award) given to the most innovative startup selected by industry advocates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fashion Innovation Day by Atelier Annual forum connecting established Spanish fashion companies (advocates) with technology startups; comprises an innovation knowledge conference, startup pitch presentations focused on fashion value chain transformation, and networking with innovation directors of leading Spanish fashion brands. Targeted at fashion/retail companies and fashion-tech startups.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TernuacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish outdoor and sportswear brand participating as an advocate company in the Atelier innovation forum, helping select the most innovative startup.
• T2T SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Technology solutions company participating in the Atelier fashion innovation ecosystem as an advocate brand.
• awwgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Fashion brand participating as an advocate in the Atelier innovation forum for fashion technology startups.
• MayoralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish children's fashion brand participating as an advocate company in Atelier, helping evaluate and select innovative startups.
• DesigualcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026International fashion brand participating as an advocate in the Atelier fashion tech innovation forum.
• MultiopticascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish optical retail chain participating in the Atelier innovation platform as an advocate company.
• El GansocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish fashion brand participating as an advocate in the Atelier Fashion Innovation Day.
• El Corte IngléscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major Spanish department store and fashion retailer participating as an advocate brand in the Atelier innovation ecosystem.
• BobolicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish children's clothing brand participating as an advocate in the Atelier Fashion Innovation Day.
• TendamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish fashion group (formerly Cortefiel) participating as an advocate company in the Atelier innovation forum.
• CampercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish footwear brand participating as an advocate in the Atelier fashion technology innovation platform.
• Bimba y LolacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Spanish fashion brand participating as an advocate in the Atelier Fashion Innovation Day ecosystem.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Who's Next / WSN (now WSN Development): Paris-based organizer of fashion and lifestyle trade shows (Who's Next, Première Classe, Impact) connecting brands, designers, and innovation players. Comparable as an established European fashion trade show organizer with a similar event-driven matchmaking format.
• Pitti Immagine: Florence-based organizer of leading international fashion trade shows (Pitti Uomo, Pitti Bimbo, etc.) connecting brands, buyers, and innovators. Comparable as a long-running fashion trade-show organizer serving the European fashion ecosystem.
• Decathlon Innovation (Decathlon Pulse): Sportswear retailer Decathlon's open-innovation platform scouting and partnering with startups across retail and product technology. Comparable as an established retailer-led fashion/sportswear innovation forum analogous to Atelier's advocate-brand model.
• Zalando SE: European fashion e-commerce leader running fashion-tech innovation programs (e.g., Zalando Innovation Program, startup partnerships) that connect its platform with emerging technology companies. Overlaps with Atelier's fashion-tech startup matchmaker positioning at much greater scale.
• LVMH La Maison des Startups: Innovation arm of LVMH supporting fashion and luxury-tech startups at the group's Station F location in Paris. Comparable as a broader, better-capitalized incumbent fashion-tech platform serving similar startup and corporate stakeholders.

Regional players

• South Summit: Madrid-headquartered startup conference that includes fashion/retail vertical programming connecting corporates, investors, and startups. Comparable as a Spain-based innovation event platform overlapping with Atelier's domestic geography.
• 4YFN (Four Years From Now): Barcelona-based startup event linked to Mobile World Congress that hosts a fashion/retail innovation vertical with startup showcases and corporate-investor matchmaking. Comparable event-driven fashion-tech format operating in a neighboring Spanish market.

Direct peers

• Fashion for Good: Amsterdam-based global fashion sustainability and innovation accelerator that connects fashion brands with innovative startups through programs and pilots. Directly comparable to Atelier's model of matchmaking established fashion companies with curated tech startups.
• The Mills Fabrica: Hong Kong / London-based fashion-tech incubator and investor that runs startup programs and showcases for fashion and textile innovation. Directly comparable as a fashion-tech innovation platform serving both startups and established brands.
• Plug and Play (Fashion & Retail vertical): Silicon Valley-headquartered corporate innovation platform running a dedicated Fashion & Retail vertical that links enterprise brands with selected startups, mirroring Atelier's curated matchmaking and event-driven model at a larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelierbyisem

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atelier by ISEM