A strategic partner for next-gen materials teams
From founder to consultant
My experience with sustainable materials sourcing.
When I founded my luxury clothing line, Apacceli, in 2017, I was determined to do things differently. I wanted to create, source, and sell as sustainably as I could. I used Clo-3D to visualize initial sampling and reduce waste, focused on small batch production, and my higher priced items were bespoke and made-to-order. What I struggled the most with, however, was finding materials that were truly making a difference in environmental impact (rather than just claims and greenwashing). Disappointingly, the materials that I DID manage to find were often not available to small brands to purchase.
Apacceli collections were invited to show at NY and Paris Fashion Weeks, as well as to sell through Macy’s.
This frustrating sustainable materials sourcing experience led me to deep dive into the world of next-gen materials, and to the pursuit of my master’s degree, which focused on marketing and commercialization for cell-cultured leather alternatives.
Next-gen materials
My interest in next-gen materials started long before I knew the term and gained sustainable sourcing experience with Apacceli.
As a lifelong equestrian, I’ve watched how deeply performance and tradition shape material expectations: leather is trusted because it lasts, adapts, and performs under pressure. Synthetic alternatives entered the market, but their different feel and durability created an immediate stigma.
So the question that has stayed with me is: What would it take for a new material to be accepted in a category where performance can’t be compromised?
I’m drawn to next-gen materials because the science is genuinely fascinating…watching entirely new classes of materials emerge in real time is something rare in any industry. But what motivates me even more is the challenge of making those breakthroughs understandable, credible, and strategically viable. I love research, pattern recognition, and turning complexity into clarity. My background in consumer insight, marketing strategy, and long-term category analysis lets me connect scientific potential to real-world adoption. Next-gen materials are where innovation, behavior, and market architecture collide, and that’s exactly where my brain does its best work.
Evidence-based strategy
I'm drawn to the space where data, strategy, and human behavior meet. My work centers on understanding why people make decisions (not just what survey results say) and translating that into clear, evidence-based strategy.
My master's research involved primary and secondary research to understand adoption dynamics for cell-cultured leather in a luxury, performance-critical category. The findings reinforced what I'd suspected from my Apacceli experience: technical validation alone doesn't drive adoption. Understanding buyer criteria, competitive positioning, and credibility signaling matters just as much as the material science.
In next-gen materials, where visibility often precedes proof and sustainability narratives drive funding before consumer demand is validated, I focus on sequencing commercialization’s three interconnected concepts correctly: visibility, viability, and value.
I've systematically studied 61 next-gen materials companies globally to understand the patterns that separate commercial traction from expensive false starts. This research revealed a critical misalignment: companies optimize for credibility (press coverage, brand partnerships, sustainability metrics) rather than buyer value. They build visibility around technical achievements before understanding what end-users actually need.
I examined this pattern in my recent article for International Fiber Journal, “Trend Forecasting for Biomaterials”, discussing how biomaterials companies build visibility and viability around technical achievement before buyer value is clearly defined.
“Without treating demand insight as foundational infrastructure, the sector will continue to produce technically impressive materials that fail to cross meaningful adoption thresholds.”
— Jenny Erwin, International Fiber Journal, Issue 1, 2026
what this means for my clients
My process starts with evidence, not assumptions. I help you understand what's provably true about your market, your capabilities, and your buyers, then build strategy around that foundation. Whether it's validating demand, structuring partnerships, or refining positioning, I focus on aligning what you claim externally with what you can deliver operationally.