Borre Akkersdijk, Founder of BYBORRE

Our Boardroom Creativity book launch took place on January 19, 2023 at the headquarters of BYBORRE – a fast-growing textile brand that believes it can truly change the game of textiles. We were very happy that BYBORRE offered the use of their space, not just because of the personal relationship (Founder Borre Akkersdijk was a student of Anne Mieke at the Design Academy Eindhoven, and she now chairs their board) but also because we love the creative vibe of the place. And lastly, we share their ambition of being a game-changer: we believe it’s time for business to get serious about creativity!

At the launch, Anne Mieke interviewed Borre Akkersdijk on how they are a gamechanger for their industry. Borre explained that this goes beyond their focus on sustainability, they also make a difference in the way they partner with the different actors in their innovation ecosystem. With other designers for example, they don’t compete, but they co-create, offering their platform in an open-source model. For companies like Mayer & Cie, which you would traditionally describe as their circular knitting machine supplier, they act as an innovation partner, allowing their people time to experiment, learn and fail. The ideas and feedback of the BYBORRE team help Mayer to further evolve their machines. Creative scale-ups like BYBORRE can play this role because they have the autonomy and the freedom to deviate from the usual corporate rules that are a barrier to innovation in established businesses.

What does your innovation ecosystem look like? Do you partner with creative start-ups to challenge the rules of your game?