Redress Design Award 2019 launches with First Prize to collaborate on a sustainable collection for JNBY Group
Redress has opened the ninth cycle of The Redress Design Award, the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition. With a focus on emerging designers the search is now on to find the next big talent who has the ability to impress the judges and the commercial flair to inspire a new wave of conscious consumers. With a career-changing opportunity to collaborate with the JNBY Group (one of China’s leading fashion houses), the winning designer will create a sustainable collection for retail, whilst also supporting Redress’ mission to promote sustainable fashion and catalyse positive change in China’s powerful fashion industry.
Christina Dean, Founder and Board Chair of Redress said: “In times of crisis, we desperately need creativity. Fashion’s direct link to waste, pollution and climate change is undisputed. By uniting the 2019 winner with a sustainably-minded fashion brand in China, we can influence one of the world’s most important fashion epicentres whilst showcasing the advances that China is making to clean up its act.”
Li Lin, President and Chief Creative Director of JNBY Group, noted: “JNBY Group shares Redress’ goal to create a sustainable fashion industry. Last year we launched Reverb, a new circular fashion brand that is transforming our group's environmental impact. Globally the desire for change, particularly among the younger generation, is evident. We believe in the importance of educating the next generation and look forward to welcoming the next winner of the Redress Design Award into our team.”
The current fashion system is incredibly wasteful, with only less than 1% of material used to produce clothing recycled into new clothing after use, equating to a loss of more than USD100 billion worth of materials each year[1]. But with 80% of a garment’s environmental impact defined at the design stage, designers have tremendous power to change this. The 2018 cycle of the Redress Design Award attracted entries from 55 countries, and with 110 university partners worldwide the competition continues to blaze a trail for sustainable fashion.
Marking the 2019 cycle launch at an event in Hong Kong, industry experts gathered to discuss China’s role as a key player to affect change through circular and sustainable design. China is the world’s largest exporter of textiles and clothing[2] and, for the first time in 2019, China will overtake the US as the world’s largest fashion market.[3] Fashion is currently the fourth largest emitter of CO2, and according to China Water Risk, the industry has significant power to ensure that the targets set at COP 21 to limit global warming to less than two degrees can be realistically achieved.[4]
With support from two new headline sponsors the competition will also accept applications from menswear designers for the first time since its launch in 2011
The ongoing Major Sponsorship from Create Hong Kong, together with new sponsors JNBY Group and Gold Sponsor, Eastman Naia™ (makers of a fully traceable and sustainable cellulosic yarn), has enabled the 2019 cycle to expand to accept entries from menswear, alongside womenswear and unisex designers.
Ruth Farrell, Eastman Global Marketing Director of Textiles shared: “We are pleased to be able to sponsor this important, ever expanding competition which aligns with Eastman’s goal to promote sustainable fashion education. Through our partnership with Redress, we are working to cultivate a global pipeline of sustainable designers who have the creative vision to transform fashion and build the new brands of the future.”
Emerging designers worldwide with less than three years’ industry experience are eligible to apply until the closing date on 14 March 2019 at www.redressdesignaward.com
Find out more about the Redress Design Award 2019 cycle here.
[1] Ellen Macarthur Foundation (2017), A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion's Future
[2] World Trade Organisation, 2017, World Trade Statistical Review, 2017
[3] Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company report “The State of Fashion 2019”
[4] China Water Risk, 2018, “Fashion Has The Power To Shape A 2°C World”