Since 2018, Annie Cyr has breathed fresh air into the not very technological world of the textile industry. Its digital platform, Tengiva, simplifies the imposing process between textile suppliers and clothing brands. Her idea is so ingenious that she was selected in the Entrepreneurial Acceleration Program Google for startups: women founders.
Four Canadian companies have been selected by the giant. Tengiva is the only Quebecer. “It’s a huge source of pride, exclaims Annie Cyr. In addition to giving us great visibility, it solidifies our value by showing that textiles can be techno. ”
Reserved for young shoots ready to deploy quickly, the program began in September and will end in December. “It’s far from being a simple flyover support,” she explains. It’s a deep dive. I have two mentors, one specialized in techno and the other in sales and marketing. They make recommendations to me and put me in touch with the experts in the program. I am impressed ! ”
One step at a time
Annie Cyr has come a long way since she saw herself becoming a designer, organizing her first fashion shows at 17. After studying fashion design at the Fashion School of Cégep Marie-Victorin, years in the job market and a detour to Italy to specialize in shoe and accessory design, she wanted to go further away.
Direction: the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), to study in industrial management of fashion.
PHOTO ANDREJ IVANOV, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
I was taking a course with a passionate textile teacher. I found her so inspiring that I asked her why she wasn’t writing a book about what she was teaching us. She told me that she didn’t have time and that I should take care of it. So, for three years, I wrote a guide on textile fibers.
Annie Cyr, founder and president of Tengiva
This imposing job allowed him to tame the other side of fashion, until he became responsible for supply in a large company. “With a colleague, we managed $ 25 million in raw materials per year. ”
Very quickly, she got tired of the heavy and archaic process that was imposed on her. “The supply is full of repetitive steps and it sometimes takes months to get a single fabric! ”
Together with her partner Carlos Agudelo, she analyzed the ecosystem, standardized terminology in the industry and devised a solution that would simplify everything. “For example, if someone is looking for a t-shirt on our website, our tool will bring them to preselected products according to the variables identified. ”
Environmental aspect
Thanks to Tengiva, everything is simpler, faster … and more environmental. “A brand can now obtain its fabric in a week, which allows it to better manage its needs. Instead of planning her supply for six months, she can plan for a month using precisely what she needs. It is less wasteful and it allows greater adaptability in production, ”explains Annie Cyr.
Another advantage: increased transparency in the supply chain. “You can tell which manufacturer the material comes from, which country a yarn comes from and what chemicals were used to make the finishes. We will no longer be able to say that we do not know where our clothes come from. ”
To date, Tengiva is used by 25 manufacturers and 375 brands in 30 countries. And that’s just the beginning.