ANDAM Innovation Award 2026: Alphalyr illustrates the rise of AI in the fashion value chain

Alphalyr, an AI platform for supply, retail and e-commerce data analysis, is the winner of the ANDAM Innovation Award 2026. The company will receive a grant of 100,000 euros. Pili, which develops bio-based dyes intended to replace petrochemical alternatives, has received the special jury prize.

This 2026 edition shows that fashion innovation is structured around two major themes: artificial intelligence and more sustainable materials and processes.

The Committee of Experts met on May 20, 2026, at IFM Paris to review the applications and select the winners. Created in 2017, the award aims to support technological innovations related to the transformation of the creative and fashion industry.

AI at the heart of ANDAM 2026's innovation

“With Alphalyr, the 2026 edition marks the arrival of an AI applied to retail, the supply chain and sales management. In a complicated context for brands, especially younger ones, the challenge is also to help companies better anticipate demand and adjust their flows,” Nathalie Dufour, founder and general director of ANDAM, told FashionUnited.

The 2026 winner, Alphalyr, chaired and managed by Bertrand Fredenucci and Nicolas Fellous respectively, develops an artificial intelligence platform for fashion brands and distributors to analyse and manage their supply chain, retail and e-commerce data. The company aims to transform commercial and operational data into actionable insights to improve the overall performance of fashion businesses.

Their technology is involved in sales analysis; inventory management; supply chain management; retail performance tracking; e-commerce optimisation; demand forecasting; and AI-assisted decision-making.

By awarding the first prize to Alphalyr, ANDAM is recognising operational AI solutions capable of directly impacting the economic and environmental efficiency of the fashion value chain.

“We have also seen the very concrete and operational improvement brought by AI to the value chain. This applies to both operational efficiency and the co-development of the creative approach,” stated Yann Gozlan in the press release. Gozlan is the founder of Creative Valley, a French incubator and accelerator for innovative start-ups, and a member of the executive committee.

Innovations focused on materials and sustainability

Guillaume Boissonnat-Wu and Jérémie Blache, Pili, special ANDAM prize 2026 Credits: ANDAM

“However, ANDAM maintains its interest in material innovations, as shown by the special prize awarded to Pili and its alternatives to petrochemical dyes,” explained Nathalie Dufour.

Pili, led by Guillaume Boissonnat-Wu and Jérémie Blache, is part of the biotech ecosystem applied to materials and sustainable fashion. This French company offers an alternative to petrochemical dyes.

Pili combines microbial fermentation and green chemistry to produce bio-based dyes and pigments. It notably produces a bio-based indigo from renewable resources.

“We have discovered a real maturity and diversity in the new materials on offer, with an increasingly sophisticated consideration of ecological issues, particularly water and carbon consumption,” added Yann Gozlan.

The two finalists will benefit from mentoring by Yann Gozlan and access to the ANDAM network and ecosystem. In addition, the Committee of Experts has also invited the ten finalists to present their technology at Inno-Tech at Première Vision Paris, from September 1 to 3, 2026.

ANDAM notes that the nine previous winners have raised over 200 million euros and have established partnerships with key players in the luxury and fashion sectors.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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