Hand Made Stone Looks to Scale Globally After Mills Fabrica Award
In just a handful of years, Hand Made Stone (HMS) has left a mark on the denim industry. The company creates sustainable solutions for denim wash processes such as whiskering and stonewashing, allowing mills and even consumers to create the looks they want without the waste and toxic sludge that comes with conventional pumice stones.
As its name implies, HMS creates manufactured stone products out of recycled materials that are more durable than pumice stones. They are also customizable unlike natural pumice, and they don’t leave dust behind that must be washed off. Along with stones for washing, the company has expanded its offerings with pencil-shaped stones, allowing consumers to do some denim DIY.
Recently, the material innovator was recognized by one of the industry’s key startup accelerators, The Mills Fabrica. The incubator’s “Techstyle For Social Good” Global Innovation Challenge, hosted annually since 2019, awards textile and agrifood innovations that are scalable and will make an impact on society. To be eligible for the competition, at least one of the core members of the organization must be a student or recent graduate.
The culmination of the contest was a live pitching event in Hong Kong in September. Finalists presented their innovations to the judges, who included representatives from the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), Pangaia and Innovate360. After judging, Hand Made Stone was awarded the grand prize in the Techstyle category.
As part of the award, HMS received a cash prize as well as a three- to six-month mentorship with Pangaia, a three-month incubation at The Mills Fabrica and other support that will help the company further its goals.
On the heels of her win, Beyza Baykan, managing director of Baytech Ltd., the parent firm behind HMS, caught up with Carved in Blue to discuss what’s next for the company.
Carved in Blue: What does it mean for Hand Made Stone to win this award?
Beyza: We are incredibly happy and more motivated than ever! Winning this award validates our commitment to driving sustainable change in the denim industry by offering scalable, eco-friendly solutions that reduce environmental impact and costs. With support from The Mills Fabrica and Pangaia, we’re excited to expand HMS as a global solution for sustainable denim washing.
Carved in Blue: How do you plan to use your prize earnings?
Beyza: We plan to scale HMS globally, emphasizing its affordability, environmental benefits and ease of adoption. With the momentum we gained with this award, we’ll expand into non-denim while strengthening our position in denim. Partnering with leading manufacturers and brands, we’ll refine HMS to deliver financial and ecological savings, making it the go-to solution for sustainable garment production.
For the B2C side and to support our vision of raising awareness and bridging the gap between the end consumers and BTS, we will be exploring retail partnerships and educational opportunities for our HMS Designer Pen and HMS Moon.
Carved in Blue: What are you most hoping to get out of your mentorship?
Beyza: We’re excited to relocate to London and take full advantage of the office space and stipend provided, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the incubation and mentorship program. We’re eager to leverage the mentorship from Pangaia and The Mills Fabrica to secure grant funding for our sustainable manufacturing initiatives, particularly in R&D and customization. We also believe this is a valuable opportunity to refine our business plan and pitching skills, ultimately strengthening our approach to investor relations and customer negotiations. Additionally, it is going to be great to have the insight of The Mills Fabrica and Pangaia while we build a bigger team and recruit new members for our dynamic company. It is also going to be great to learn about financial strategy and gain some marketing skills from our mentors.
Carved in Blue: What would you say have been some of your biggest wins and achievements since starting HMS?
Beyza: Our greatest achievement has undoubtedly been making customizable, eco-friendly denim washing stones a reality. This is reflected in our many successes, including the following.
First is industry partnerships, including supplying Bossa, who features HMS in a significant portion of their collections, which are showcased at fairs through their #washedwithHMS tags; Adriano Goldschmied using HMS for Daily Blue; and partnering with Vicunha and Orozco for the denim-focused Via Blue Festival at Colombia Moda.
We also raised awareness through our Transparency marketing campaign with Mud Jeans, whose jeans are extensively washed with HMS, and our HMS workshop with Mohsin Sajid at Central Saint Martins.
HMS also received industry recognition, such as being selected as one of the five innovative companies to watch by Rivet and becoming a community member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Our award-winning innovation culminated in the Grand Prize at Mills Fabrica’s Innovation Challenge.
One of the biggest wins was also being a part of the denim community, especially the women in denim, who are my support system.
Carved in Blue: What remaining challenges does HMS face?
Beyza: While our biggest challenge lies in finding distributors to enter new markets, we are hopeful that with the support of our network and collaborators, we can overcome this hurdle and continue to scale globally.
Carved in Blue: What is next for Hand Made Stone? What is in store for the rest of 2024?
Beyza: The rest of 2024 is packed with exciting developments for Hand Made Stone! We’re particularly thrilled for the non-denim collection with Adriano Goldschmied and Artmill at Kingpins later this month. This collaboration with the “Godfather of Denim” himself proves that HMS delivers exceptional results on a variety of fabrics, not only denim. We also have some surprise HMS workshops planned in London—follow us @hmswashing for the latest updates.
Innovation remains at our core, as demonstrated by the recent launch of our new dry-process product, HMS Moon. Sister of the Designer Pen, this versatile tool offers even more creative possibilities for achieving intricate denim textures with ease and comfort. We can’t wait to see the amazing creations it inspires in workshops and design studios worldwide!
And this is just the beginning. We’re continuously engaged in R&D, exploring new stonewashing solutions for different fabrics and unique fashion finishes. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements!