The 2020 Grand Final of the Redress Design Awards crowned its menswear and womenswear champions amid tough competition from global entrants. So, who are the eco-friendly designers of the future to look out for? The wait to find out is over…
Environmental charity, Redress, hosted its 10th edition of the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition in September 2020. Hundreds of entrants from around the globe battled it out to be crowned Menswear and Womenswear champions following months of intense competition and scrutiny from a panel of renowned judges. The prizes up for grabs included a sustainable design collaboration with VF Corporation’s Timberland for menswear and The R Collective for womenswear.
This year’s competition was set against the backdrop of the mounting waste crisis in fashion due to COVID-19. Redress Founder and Green Warrior, Christina Dean, said: “Fashion’s waste crisis can’t be swept under the carpet any longer. Covid-19’s retail and supply chain disruptions have stranded materials in warehouses, factories and stores globally. Now is the time to catalyse the circular economy – and this is Redress’ focus. The Redress Design Award has for 10 years educated designers about circular design. The industry must not waste the opportunities that Covid-19’s crisis is offering.”
You can catch the full Grand Final Fashion Show here, or keep on scrolling for a winners spoiler.
And the winners are…
Womenswear
Juliana Garcia Bello: Her collection, titled HERENCIA, works with concepts of heritage, being, and existence and she believes that every object makes a story possible. Juliana used garments donated by friends and neighbours to generate a new collection with items that were no longer in use. She states: “I have serious concerns with the fashion industry and the quantities of products that are being generated collection after collection. I want to show the public that it is possible to create ethical, circular designs with an emphasis on simplicity”
Menswear
Le Ngoc Ha Thu: This unique collection, title Slow Boy Archive, takes inspiration from Japanese-style Americana. After discovering the ‘bad side’ of the fashion industry in Vietnam, she applied zero-waste pattern design to upcycled textiles to create a collection that encourages consumers to adopt a slow-living, mindful approach to life. She says; “As one of the largest textile producers and exporters now looking to move into manufacturing, it is crucial that my home country of Vietnam does not make the same mistakes others have in the past for the sake of both our citizens and the environment and to prove that a sustainable apparel industry is entirely possible. I hope to actively take part in this reformation of the local fashion industry”.
Get Redressed Month
Feeling inspired by these brilliant designers? Well, you’re in luck. You can get in on the sustainable fashion action throughout the month of October thanks to Get Redressed Month. The campaign’s mission is to reduce the amount of textile waste in Hong Kong. A worthy and much-needed initiative given that 39% of Hong Kongers have thrown away clothes after wearing an item only once, the equivalent of 1.3 million t-shirts are thrown away every day, and 196 tonnes of clothing enters Hong Kong’s landfills every single day. Yikes.
How do I get involved?
The aim of the game is to keep your clothes in use for longer and reduce the environmental impact they have. And there are multiple ways you can get involved as an individual, an organisation, or a school. But in a nutshell, here are a few ways you can participate.
1. Look out for the Get Redressed clothing collection boxes that will be dotted around the city in public locations including GAP, Swire properties, and Pizza Express. (A full list of locations will be published shortly, keep an eye on the website for more details). Because donating your old clothes instead of chucking them away is a no brainer. Go on, give ’em a second life.
2. Do a wardrobe edit! Clear out your closet and see what you already have lurking at the back of your drawers that can be restyled.
3. Where possible avoid buying any new clothes but, if you must, try shopping sustainably at one of these outlets instead.
4. Get your organisation involved to host a lunch and learn introducing the issues surrounding textile waste from the Redress team.
5. Download the Redress School Activity Pack to get students involved through engaging activities.
*Lead image: Amalgamation collection by Grace Lant, winner of the HK Best prize.