4 October 2025 ![]() Innovation in Focus: The Austrian State Prize PatentSince 2016, the Austrian State Prize Patent (Staatspreis Patent) has recognised the country's most outstanding inventions and creative brand concepts. The award, presented biennially by the Austrian Patent Office in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure, honours achievements in three categories: Best Patent, Best Trademark, and a special award that changes focus each year — in 2025 dedicated to Women's Advancement in Innovation. The 2025 edition attracted more than 300 submissions, demonstrating Austria's continuing strength in innovation and creativity even in economically challenging times.Beyond Glamour: When Fashion Meets FunctionFashion often evokes images of glamour and fast trends — but it is also a field where innovation tackles pressing issues such as overproduction and textile waste. Yet, beneath the surface lies a constant drive for innovation — from textile technology to circular economy models. In children's fashion especially, where sizes change as quickly as growth spurts, innovation can be a form of sustainability. Turning what used to be hand-me-down culture into smart reuse is one such forward-thinking idea — and it has just earned official recognition.Neworn: A Viennese Innovation for a Circular FutureVienna-based start-up Neworn, founded in 2023 by Caroline Schober and Ole Thijs Kramer, has developed an app that brings second-hand and unsold children's clothing back into circulation. The platform connects parents looking to buy or sell high-quality kids' fashion and accessories, while preventing textile waste. Beyond private users, Neworn also collaborates with fashion labels across Europe, reintegrating unsold stock, returns, and sample pieces into the market through regular "Flash Sales". "We offer fashion companies a simple, legally compliant solution and parents high-quality branded products at affordable prices," explains Caroline Schober. This approach responds to the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, part of the European Green Deal, which promotes product longevity and restricts the destruction of unsold goods. The brand's name — a creative play on "new" and "worn", echoing "newborn" — encapsulates the circular concept: giving garments a second life from the very start.At the 2025 State Prize Patent, Neworn received the award in the Trademark category for its inventive brand identity and sustainable business model. The jury praised its creative language, strong community focus, and contribution to a circular economy. Rethinking ConsumptionNeworn's success reminds us that the better an innovation works, the more effortless our daily lives become — but also, the more conscious we must remain. A world of circular design allows us to act freely, yet it demands reflection on how much we consume. Sustainability, after all, begins not only with invention but with intention.Image: The picture shows Neworn co-founder Caroline Schober standing next to a rack of children’s clothing. The Vienna-based start-up Neworn promotes a circular concept for kids’ fashion. Photo: Laurenz Vavrovsky. |