REDRESS DESIGN AWARD 2021 NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES
World’s largest sustainable fashion design competition announces over USD$10,000 in prizes plus a new edition of its online circular design course
12 January 2021, Hong Kong
Leading sustainability NGO Redress opened the highly anticipated 2021 cycle of the Redress Design Award, the renowned global sustainable fashion design competition, now in its 11th cycle. With lead sponsorship from Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Redress continues to propel collective effort to reduce global waste in the fashion industry. This cycle’s prizes include US$10,000 (HK$80,000) in development funding, and bespoke mentorships with world-renowned sustainable fashion experts.
Additionally, the Redress Design Award 2021 kicks off with an exciting new edition of its Pathway Course, a tailored circular and sustainable fashion design curriculum free to all designers and now open for registration. The 4-session digital course complements Redress’ open-access LEARN platform, which supports emerging designers on a global scale with regularly-updated content on the latest sustainable design practices, with key guides now available in 5 languages.
Educating emerging designers on sustainable design theories and techniques is core to the Redress Design Award programme and its mission to drive growth towards a circular fashion system.
Redress Founder and Board Chair, Christina Dean said, “We must shift education urgently if we are to transform the fashion industry which, post-Covid, is rebuilding itself with sustainability at the centre. Now is the time to act. The industry is screaming for knowledgeable professionals to enter the market with ideas, techniques and creativity that can steer fashion through crisis and onto something more meaningful.”
In addition to CreateHK, sponsors of this year’s Redress Design Award include key industry leaders TAL Group and Avery Dennison, all of whom complement Redress’ mission through their commitment to a more sustainable industry.
EXPLORING HYPERLOCAL DESIGN SOLUTIONS AT WASTE HOTSPOTS
As part of an opening event, marking the Redress Design Award 2021 cycle, Redress hosted a timely panel discussion on the emergence of hyperlocal design and manufacturing solutions in response to waste hotspots. Global experts weighed in on the changing landscape of sustainable design and, with it, the diversification of design and emergence of such solutions. The panelists, representing various industry sectors were:
- Christina Dean, Founder and Chair of Redress
- Grace Lant, Redress Design Award alumna and Co-founder of Love From Blue
- Nin Castle, Co-Founder of Recycling and Remanufacturing Lead at Reverse Resources
- Aummy Ninkamhang, CEO of Stellapop
“Many inspiring designers and brands are completely dedicated to reducing textile waste. Creating meaningful products that tackle existing waste, right where it is, requires dedication, investigation and collaboration. We are increasingly seeing successful hyperlocal solutions that are win:wins for designers and industry – and the planet,” said Christina Dean.
The Redress Design Award 2021 Prizes
Along with a strong educational focus (with over 50,000 individuals reached to date), the Redress Design Award rewards the best with career-changing prizes to maximise long-term impact and propel careers in sustainable fashion design forward. This cycle, winners will enjoy a share of a USD $10,000 development fund to support the development of their brand or career. All ten finalists will receive mentorships with leading fashion industry professionals and join an in-depth, educational journey including hands-on industry experiences, exclusive masterclasses and sustainable design challenges while in Hong Kong for the Grand Final.
The online application for the Redress Design Award 2021 is now open until 15 March 2021 to emerging designers with less than four years’ experience. 30 semi-finalists will be announced on 22 April and then the 10 finalists, who will show their collections in Hong Kong, on 13 May. Winners will be announced at the livestreamed Grand Final Show in early September 2021.
Read more about Redress at Ethical Fashion Brazil