New South Wales, Australia: Today, eBay Australia, in partnership with the Australian Fashion Council (AFC), proudly announced Shopfront as the winner of eBay’s 2025 Circular Fashion Fund, recognising their innovative approach to driving progress in circularity and tackling Australia’s ongoing textile waste crisis.
Now in its second year in Australia, the Fund awards Shopfront $100,000 AUD, while runners-up HATCH + make and Hello Tailr will each receive $50,000 AUD to further their circular business solutions. In addition to the funding received, the three recipients will receive bespoke mentoring sessions, educational workshops and networking opportunities.
In 2023, over 222,000 tonnes of clothing were sent to Australian landfill, reinforcing the need for urgent, systemic and lasting change.¹ To address this, eBay launched the Circular Fashion Fund to foster innovation and support businesses that reduce waste and promote circularity, aligning with the industry’s 2030 goals.2 This year’s winners were chosen from a competitive shortlist, pitching their transformative ideas to a panel of industry experts.
Shopfront's victory not only provides funding for their business but also earns them a place in eBay's global competition. They will join winners from the UK, US and Germany to pitch their ideas to eBay's venture capital arm, eBay Ventures, for the chance to be named 'Circular Fashion Innovator of the Year' and receive a potential $300,000 USD additional investment.**
eBay Australia’s Fashion Lead, Anne-Marie Cheney, said: “Circularity is no longer an aspiration—it’s a necessity for fashion’s future. At eBay, we’re proud to support businesses reimagining every stage of the fashion life cycle, from design to resale and repair. Following the success of our 2024 winners, we’re excited to see how this year’s businesses use the mentoring, networking opportunities, workshops and funding to drive change. Our 2025 winners prove that a more circular future isn’t just an idea—it’s already in motion.”
More about the winners:
Shopfront aims to make fashion resale seamless, scalable, and sustainable. Using an AI-powered tool to streamline listings across multiple marketplaces, Shopfront simplifies the shopping experience to drive circularity. Sellers simply upload photos, while Shopfront removes backgrounds, generates listings, and posts them to platforms like eBay – making it easy for sellers to connect with and manage multiple platforms and scale their resale success.
HATCH + make creates sustainable knitwear through low-waste design, eco-friendly production, and a focus on natural fibres. Its Brood line, launched in December 2024, helps brand partners reduce development costs. Using efficient knitting methods and local production, HATCH + make supports small runs to cut waste and ensures transparency across the supply chain lifecycle. Over the next three years, the brand plans to upskill more designers and expand its impact, building on the more than 30 organisations it has supported.
Hello Tailr promotes circular fashion by extending garment life and empowering brands to follow suit. As an online clothing tailor and alteration platform, it offers door-to-door pickup, mail-in, and drop-off services at over 7,500 locations nationwide for added convenience. Hello Tailr also helps fashion brands coordinate repairs in their pro platforms while managing logistics and technology. Catering to businesses and consumers, more than 72% of the brand’s services are completed by social enterprise partners, supporting communities and the greater recommerce ecosystem.
2025 Circular Fashion Fund winner, Shopfront Co-Founder & CEO Nate Spiteri, said: “We’re incredibly honoured to receive the 2025 Circular Fashion Fund and grateful to eBay and the Australian Fashion Council for their commitment to driving circularity in the fashion industry. At Shopfront, our mission is to make fashion resale seamless, scalable, and sustainable. This funding will help us enhance our AI-powered tool, streamlining the resale process across multiple marketplaces and making it easier for sellers to extend the life cycle of garments. We look forward to collaborating with industry leaders and mentors to accelerate sustainable solutions for the future of fashion.”
CEO of the Australian Fashion Council, Jaana Quaintance-James, said: “The 2025 Circular Fashion Fund winners exemplify the innovation we need to transform Australia's fashion ecosystem. Innovative businesses like HATCH + make, Shopfront, and Hello Tailr are critical for driving forward practical solutions that extend product lifecycles, minimise waste, and build resilient supply chains. With continued collaboration between government, industry leaders like eBay, and our pioneering winners, we can accelerate Australia’s transition to a lower impact future.”
Participants were evaluated based on three criteria: innovation, circularity and business viability/scalability. Selected businesses showcased new or improved products or processes and offered creative strategies to address circularity in fashion. They also demonstrated scalability and a track record of success, indicating their ability to effectively utilise the funding.
eBay Australia, along with the global markets, will run the Fund with the goal of forming an international alumni of circular fashion businesses, helping to pave the way for a more circular future.
eBay’s Circular Fashion Fund will provide a total global investment of $1.2 million USD** to start-ups in the global markets by the end of 2025 and over 200 hours of mentoring and networking support for applicants from industry experts.
About eBay: eBay Inc. is a global commerce leader that connects people and builds communities to create economic opportunity for all. Our technology empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world, providing everyone the opportunity to grow and thrive. Founded in 1995 in San Jose, California, eBay is one of the world's largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection. In 2024, eBay enabled $75 billion of gross merchandise volume. For more information about the company and its global portfolio of online brands, visit www.ebayinc.com.
About the Australian Fashion Council:: The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) is a not-for-profit and the peak body for the Australian fashion and textile industry, representing the sector for over 70 years. AFC members are Australian founded or majority owned businesses involved in producing fabric, clothing, footwear or accessories, including individuals that contribute creatively and economically to the Australian fashion and textile industry. The AFC champion and advocate for a prosperous and creative Australian fashion and textiles industry, with the purpose of building a vibrant, inclusive ecosystem for our member community through education, collaboration and innovation.
