Bangladeshi fabric inspection technology earns Global Change Award

From the report

Bangladeshi technology startup threadBridge has received the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award 2026 for its AI-powered smart glasses, designed to help fabric inspectors detect defects in real time before fabric is cut.

Co-founded by Md Ridwan Hossain and Mohammad Maaz, the startup received the award at Stockholm City Hall on 22 October. Hossain accepted the award, often called the “Nobel Prize of Fashion”, on behalf of the team, with Maaz alongside him, according to the press release. The venue hosts the Nobel Prize banquet each December. threadBridge was the only Bangladeshi company among this year’s 10 winners, alongside innovators from India, the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and Tanzania. The recognition highlights Bangladesh’s growing role in developing technology for the global textile industry. Long known as a major clothing manufacturing hub, the country is also gaining recognition for locally designed and built solutions that improve how those clothes are made.

“Accepting this award in Stockholm, I was thinking of the workers on our factory floors,” said Hossain. “This recognition belongs to them, and to every young engineer in Bangladesh who wants to solve problems at home.” threadBridge’s smart glasses help inspectors identify fabric defects before cutting, allowing manufacturers to address quality issues earlier and reduce avoidable waste. According to the company, around 90% of fabric in many factories reaches the cutting stage without inspection. Defects discovered later can waste material, energy, and money. Alongside the glasses, threadBridge has developed a high-speed fabric inspection module that can be fitted to inspection machines factories already use. The company is piloting the module with garment manufacturers in Bangladesh.