Leading the Charge for Inclusive Outdoor Clothing: Ryde Named Innovate UK Winner
The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards is celebrating 50 women leading the charge in groundbreaking industries - from revolutionary peat-free farming solutions, to continuous green electricity, to an AI-powered platform that streamlines allergy management in schools.
This year’s winners, from Edinburgh to Southampton and Cardiff to Belfast, are tackling critical social, environmental and economic challenges, creating a robust pipeline of women-led businesses for future investment. Each will receive a £75,000 grant, personalised business coaching, and access to networking, role modelling and training opportunities.
Larnia, founder of Ryde, has been named one of this year’s Women in Innovation award winners. With a love for the outdoors and a mission to make it more accessible, she created Ryde—a sustainable clothing brand. Ryde is challenging the industry by developing a new range of functional, thoughtfully designed outdoor clothing that serves a diverse range of body types, abilities, and lifestyles.
“Winning this award is a huge honour. It enables us to push the boundaries of outdoor clothing,” says Larnia. “The outdoor industry is often saturated with images of washboard abs and perfect hair. That’s not Ryde. We’re here to inspire everyone (and every body) to enjoy the outdoors and shift the focus from ‘doing less harm’ to ‘doing more good’ for both people and the planet.”
A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Larnia turned to wild swimming as therapy in 2018 and quickly realised how inaccessible outdoor clothing was for many. Determined to change this, she launched Ryde to create functional, inclusive gear that empowers everyone—whether hiking, walking the dog, or grabbing a coffee. Since launching, Ryde has built a loyal community, consistently sold-out collections, and won awards including the StartUp Awards for Fashion 2024 and reaching the final of the Great British Entrepreneur awards.
Along the way, Larnia has been supported by some of the most influential business growth programmes, including Innovate UK Business Growth and Virgin’s Empower100, which champions underrepresented, high-potential founders.
With support from Innovate UK, Ryde’s new project, As Nature Intended, will bridge the gap between adaptive and mainstream outdoor wear.
The collection integrates AI-driven sizing, innovative fabrics, modular attachments, and adjustable fits—making outdoor clothing functionally inclusive without feeling clinical. “The future of outdoor clothing should be inclusive by default, not an afterthought,” says Larnia. “Our designs eliminate barriers—ensuring more people, regardless of their body type, ability, or identity, can access high-performance outdoor wear.”
To bring the As Nature Intended range to life, Larnia has assembled a powerhouse team, including Sarah Hall of Wellfit Active, an expert in inclusive fitness apparel; Lily Rice, a renowned sustainable sportswear designer; Hanna Poole of Social Poole, a specialist in community engagement; and Melissa Jones, a business student from Newcastle Upon Tyne who brings fresh insight to the team.
Ryde is also working closely with a diverse network of organisations, charities, and real-world users to refine designs and create clothing that genuinely serves its wearers. Research highlights significant hurdles for women entrepreneurs, including access to funding, and a lack of networks and visible role models.
The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards address these issues, enabling women innovators to scale their businesses, whilst making a powerful impact on our economy and society. Since launching in 2016, the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards have invested over £11 million in 200 women innovators and has built a vibrant community of over 10,500 women business leaders.
The awards continue to champion high-potential women business leaders from diverse backgrounds: 36% of the winners are from ethnic minority groups (excluding white minorities); 22% have long term conditions, illnesses or disabilities; and 50% have caring or parental responsibilities.
The award winners, who represent a broad range of high growth industries - from health tech and agriculture to renewable energy and education – also span every nation and region of the UK. The Awards drew 1,452 applications from women business leaders, 52% up on last year. This record-breaking engagement highlights the high demand for innovation support and potential to drive economic growth from women leading businesses in the UK.
In total, £3.75 million in government funding is being awarded, with each recipient receiving 50% more than previous years. Recent data across all Innovate UK competitions shows that 1 in 3 successful grant applications are now led by women, a significant jump from 1 in 7 when Women in Innovation was first launched.
Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Innovate UK, said: “Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards spotlight the UK’s most groundbreaking women entrepreneurs. This year’s winners have shown incredible leadership and creativity. We’re thrilled to support them in scaling their businesses and inspiring the next wave of women innovators. Their success stories will undoubtedly pave the way for more women to enter and thrive in the world of innovation.”
Dr Stella Peace, Interim Executive Chair of Innovate UK, said: “The Women in Innovation programme is a powerful catalyst for change, not just for the brilliant women entrepreneurs it supports, but for the entire UK innovation landscape. By breaking down barriers and amplifying diverse voices, Innovate UK are fostering a more inclusive and dynamic ecosystem that drives progress across all sectors. This programme is about more than funding – it's about creating role models, building networks, and inspiring the next generation of women innovators to dream big and transform our world.’
Previous Women in Innovation Award winners have gone on to achieve remarkable success, including securing multi-million pound investments, expanding their operations, winning prestigious industry and royal awards, entering international markets, and forging high-profile partnerships with organisations such as Google, Disney and the NHS. Explore all 50 of the remarkable award winners and discover how you could benefit from the programme by searching ‘Innovate UK Women in Innovation’ or visiting: bit.ly/IUKWomenInnovate
