Last Saturday (11 September 2021), Hong Kong-based NGO Redress, which is working to reduce waste in the fashion industry, held its Redress Design Award Grand Final fashion show. Here are the winners of the awards and everything else you missed.
Redress Design Award
As the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition, the Redress Design Award challenges designers to turn various waste materials into clothing in an effort to activate circular fashion. This year’s competition saw applications from designers in 58 countries and regions. From here, 10 finalists were chosen who were then tasked with sourcing local waste – including everything from end-of-roll, samples, secondhand clothing, school uniforms, boat covers and damaged camping equipment to place mats – to create their menswear and womenswear competition collections. In the run up to the Grand Final, the finalists took part in 10 days of digital immersive educational challenges and masterclasses.
In a first for the Redress Design Award Grand Final, finalists produced four outfits physically with a fifth item projected using virtual models, creating a digital-hybrid experience using innovative technology.
The 2021 winner
And the winner of the Redress Design Award 2021 is…Taiwanese designer Jessica Chang! Her winning collection wowed the judges due to its strong marketability while bringing waste back into designs that connect with and inspire consumers. Jessica will now join global outdoor lifestyle fashion brand, Timberland, to create a sustainable design project. During this time, Jessica will also work closely with VF Corporation’s (the parent company of Timberland) Sustainability and Responsibility team to gain valuable insights from across the supply chain, including responsible design and marketing.
On winning, Jessica says, “Winning this chance to work with Timberland is a life-changer for me. Entering this complex industry as an emerging designer is daunting because, so often, everywhere we look we see bad news and complexity. We know we can bring change. Yet it is hard to magnify our big ideas as start-up designers. The Redress Design Award has given me confidence – we are all in this together to make a positive change!”
Below is a complete list of the Redress Design Award 2021 winners:
- First Prize: Jessica Chang (Taiwan)
- Runner-Up: Jin Pei-Wen (Taiwan)
- Hong Kong Best Prize Winner: Lau Sin Yi (Hong Kong)
- People’s Choice Winner: Tulika Ranjan (India)
- Alumni Prize: Beatrice Bocconi (Italy) and Grace Lant (Hong Kong)
All 2021 finalists and semi-finalists will now join the Redress Design Award Alumni Network, which now includes over 200 designers from around the world.
Did you know?
Every second, the equivalent of one rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated globally, and textile waste is estimated to increase by 60% by 2030. Designers are said to influence around 80% of a product’s environmental impact, which is why education is core to each Redress Design Award cycle and why the competition as a whole is so important in fighting fashion waste.
Christina Dean, Redress founder, says, “Fashion’s waste rates are unacceptable and change is not happening fast enough. Whilst recycling technology engineers search in labs for breakthrough recycling solutions and the finance community dither about financing much-needed recycling start-ups, Redress is increasingly promoting hyper-local waste sourcing solutions, spearheaded by fashion designers. Every textile deserves a second life.”
Since the competition started 11 years ago, the Redress Design Awards is now the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition, aiming to encourage a shift to circular economies and reduce fashion’s negative environmental impacts.
Click play to watch the Grand Final Fashion Show of the Redress Design Award 2021 below:
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See also: The least and most sustainable fabrics
