Moner Bondhu wins Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge 2022

Moner Bondhu, a local startup that focuses on mental well-being, was recently awarded 100,000 euros as a winner of the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge 2022.

Hosted by the multinational clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger, the Fashion Frontier Challenge is an annual competition that aims to encourage innovation and sustainability in the fashion industry. The event awards entrepreneurs from around the world that are trying to create solutions for a positive change in society.

This year, the event awarded the Bangladeshi startup Moner Bondhu as well as the British prosthetics startup Koalaa as the winners, awarding them a total of 200,000 euros as prize money. The winners also received a year-long mentorship with Tommy Hilfiger's global market experts and a year-long mentorship at the international business school INSEAD. 

According to the organiser, Moner Bondhu was chosen for "creating a platform that offers accessible and affordable mental health and wellbeing services to all, especially garment factory workers, women and youth across Bangladesh". 

As per the official website, the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge is a multi-step competition that takes on hundreds of applicants every year, eventually narrowing down to five finalists and in the end, two winners. Finalists are invited to develop their business concepts with help from Tommy Hilfiger mentors and experts. After training with an experienced pitch coach, the five finalists present their ideas at the final ceremony, which this year was held on February 9.

Moner Bondhu is a Bangladesh-based mental healthcare platform that provides support and care to patients with mental distress via a dedicated helpline number. They also provide counselling and workshops on stress management, and are helping spread awareness of the importance of mental healthcare in all walks of life. Last year, they hosted a special suicide prevention campaign named 'Moner Dorjae Amar'.