Emerging Fashion Designers Activate Local Circular Economies as Global Competition Fights Textile Waste

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 13 September 2021 – Redress, the world-leading NGO working to reduce fashion’s waste, announces the winners of the Redress Design Award 2021, the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition that urgently seeks to catalyse multiple micro-circular economies around the world to reduce fashion’s negative environmental impacts, following the Grand Final fashion show that featured real and virtual models that took place in Hong Kong on 11 September. The Redress Design Award 2021 is supported by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor. Emerging designer Jessica Chang from Taiwan won First Prize securing an unparalleled sustainable design collaboration with global outdoor lifestyle leader, Timberland (a VF Corp brand).

“The Redress Design Award showcases what is possible when emerging designs are given an opportunity to innovate around sustainability. We believe fostering talent and innovation is both good for business and a necessity for the future for our planet,” said Sean Cady, Vice President, Global Sustainability and Responsibility, VF Corporation, who served as one of the judges. “Sustainable fashion and circular design align with our purpose of bettering both people and the planet. Watching our global teams embrace this sustainability competition to mentor the next generation of designers is incredibly rewarding.”

Redress’ mission is to reduce fashion’s waste and the competition’s core criteria is to source and design into various waste materials to activate circular fashion. Following the open call that drew applications from designers in 58 countries and regions, the resulting 10 finalists then sourced local waste – including end-of-roll, samples, secondhand clothing, school uniforms, boat covers, damaged camping equipment to place mats – to create their menswear and womenswear competition collections.

 

Redress’ Founder, Christina Dean said, “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.”

 

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. As such, the finalists also took part in 10 days’ of digital immersive educational challenges and masterclasses in the lead up to the Grand Final fashion show, including the ‘Digital Zero-Waste Challenge with TAL Group and Browzwear’, and ‘Icebreaker Move to Natural Challenge’ in the lead up to the Grand Final.

 

WINNER JOINS TIMBERLAND FOR EXCLUSIVE COLLABORATION

 

The Redress Design Award 2021 First Prize Winner Jessica Chang whose winning collection wowed the judges due to its strong marketability, commerciality whilst bringing waste back into designs that connect with and inspire consumers, now joins Timberland’s team to collaborate on an exclusive sustainable design project, during which Jessica will also work closely with VF’s Sustainability and Responsibility team to gain valuable insights from across the supply chain, including responsible design and marketing.

 

“Winning this chance to work with Timberland is a life-changer for me,” said Jessica Chang. “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!”

Victor Tsang, Head of CreateHK, shared his congratulations with the awardees. “The Redress Design Award has not only become an important brand in the sustainable fashion design community that recognises talented emerging fashion designers around the world, but is also an extensive educational platform that equips them with sustainable design theories and techniques”.

BUILDING ON THE COMPETITION’S LEGACY

 

Following this 11th competition cycle, all 2021 finalists and semi-finalists are welcomed into the Redress Design Award Alumni Network, which now includes over 200 talented designers globally, over 60 of whom have since started their own successful brands. These trailblazing designers continue to act as international ambassadors to promote the competition’s powerful legacy.

 

Redress, with the sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong, showcased six talented alumni sustainable fashion brands to global buyers and the fashion community at CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s Fashion Spotlight event, including two brands home grown in Hong Kong. In partnership with accessories brand, Kipling, two Redress Design Award Alumni are collaborating to upcycle deadstock fabrics back to life for commercial collections.

 

CALL FOR CONSUMER ACTION

 

The Redress Design Award 2021 Grand Final was livestreamed, in partnership with TENCEL™, to global audiences with a specific call out to consumers to act now to transform fashion so as to signal stronger intent and demand to the industry. Consumer surveys consistently show that people are becoming more aware of fashion’s negative environmental impacts, particularly post-Covid. Key actions that Redress is promoting are; ‘Shop Better’ – look for sustainable designers, sustainable collections or secondhand clothing – and ‘Wear Longer’ – to keep clothing in use.

 

High-resolution images available for download here and full media kit here.

 

FULL LIST OF REDRESS DESIGN AWARD 2021 CYCLE WINNERS

●      Redress Design Award 2021 First Prize with Timberland Winner: Jessica Chang (Taiwan)

●      Redress Design Award 2021 Runner-Up Prize Mentorship with Orsola De Castro Winner: Jin Pei-Wen (Taiwan)

●      Redress Design Award 2021 Hong Kong Best Prize Winner: Lau Sin Yi (Hong Kong)

●      Redress Design Award 2021 People’s Choice Winner: Tulika Ranjan (India)

●      Redress Design Award 2021 Alumni Prize with Kipling Winners: Beatrice Bocconi (Italy – Redress Design Award 2020 Finalist); and Grace Lant (Hong Kong – Redress Design Award 2020 Finalist and Hong Kong Best Prize Winner)

 

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

●     The Redress Design Award 2021 was open to emerging designers and students with less than four years of experience globally

●     See the full list of Redress Design Award 2021 prizes at www.redressdesignaward.com/2021/prizes

●     The Redress Design Award 2021 International Grand Final Judges are Orsola de Castro, Fashion Designer, Global Creative Director and Co-Founder, Fashion Revolution; Desiree Au, Founding Publisher, Vogue Hong Kong;  Andus Tsui, Creative Director, ANGUS TSUI and Alumnus, Redress Design Award; Cecile Thorsmark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week;MAHMOUD Salahy, Vice President & Managing Director, Timberland APAC; Sean Cady, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Responsibility and Trade, VF Corporation and Christophe Degoix, Chief Operating Officer, TAL Apparel Ltd

●     The competition is organised by Redress and supported by The Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor, and multiple other sponsors including key sponsors, VF Corporation, Avery Dennison, UPS and TAL Group. See the full list of partners at www.redressdesignaward.com/partners

●      The ‘Icebreaker Move to Natural Challenge’ tasked the Redress Design Award 2021 finalists to design a solution for a 100% natural fibre hoodie that aims to re-use or minimise textile waste from the icebreaker supply chain, from sheep to shirt

●      The ‘Digital Zero-Waste Challenge with TAL Group and Browzwear’ challenged the Redress Design Award 2021 finalists to work with digital design and sampling to demonstrate their zero-waste and upcycling skills, on TAL’s deadstock fabric.

●      Both design challenges will be included in the upcoming 6th season of Frontline Fashion, launching in later September at www.youtube.com/user/RedressAsia 

●      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 made possible by innovative technology to accelerate sustainable fashion.

●      An exclusive extended version of the Redress Design Award 2021 finalists fashion shoot where virtual and physical models meet will be showcased in the October 2021 edition of VOGUE Hong Kong.

Supporting Statistics

●     Every second, the equivalent of one rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or burned globally. Ellen Macarthur Foundation (2020) The Circular Economy: A transformative Covid 19 strategy

●     Textile waste is estimated to increase by 60% by 2030 (from 2017 numbers). Source: Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (2017), Pulse of the Fashion Industry

●     Designers are said to influence around 80% of a product’s environmental impact. Source: EU Science Hub (2018): Sustainable Product Policy

●     More supporting statistics on the issues that under the Redress Design Award’s mission can be found here.

About Redress (www.redress.com.hk)

Redress is a pioneering environmental charity working to prevent and transform textile waste in the fashion industry. Its dynamic programmes work to minimise the negative impacts of fashion, whilst promoting innovative new models and driving growth towards a more sustainable industry via the circular economy.

The Redress Design Award is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition working to educate emerging fashion designers around the world about sustainable design theories and techniques in order to drive the shift towards a circular fashion system. By putting sustainable design talent in the global spotlight, the competition creates a unique platform for passionate and talented fashion game-changers to transform the global fashion industry and rewards the best with career-changing prizes to maximise long-term impact. Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the Lead Sponsor of the Redress Design Award. www.redressdesignaward.com

About Create Hong Kong (www.createhk.gov.hk)

Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community.

CreateHK has been sponsoring the Redress Design Award (formerly the EcoChic Design Award) since 2011 to promote Hong Kong’s fashion design.

About VF Corporation (www.vfcorp.com)

Founded in 1899, VF Corporation is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies connecting people to the lifestyles, activities and experiences they cherish most through a family of iconic outdoor, active and workwear brands including Vans ® , The North Face ® , Timberland ® and Dickies ® . Our purpose is to power movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and our planet. We connect this purpose with a relentless drive to succeed to create value for all stakeholders and use our company as a force for good. For more information, please visit vfc.com.

*Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communication and Technology Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.

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