Redress, the Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO accelerating the change to a circular fashion industry by educating and empowering designers and consumers to reduce clothing’s negative environmental impacts, has announced the winners of the Redress Design Award 2024. With the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) as the Lead Sponsor, the world’s leading sustainable fashion design competition concluded its 14th cycle at Hong Kong’s star-studded fashion spotlight event, CENTRESTAGE*, on 6 September.
Fashion, one of the world’s most polluting industries, is experiencing a waste crisis. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. Textile waste is estimated to increase by about 60% between 2015 and 2030.
It is estimated that 80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Redress educates designers in order to be champions of the circular economy, a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated and where responsibility is taken for the product’s entire lifecycle and its impact on the planet. Creations on the Redress Design Award runway are made using circular design techniques and textile waste, ranging from denim end-of-rolls to a shredded military parachute.
Dr. Christina Dean, Founder, Redress, said, “This competition win is a broader victory for the industry, which needs urgent injections of creativity from designers, and more engagement from consumers, if we’re to tackle the growing waste crisis raging globally and particularly in Asia. Urgent change and collaboration at the design stage is needed.”
Congratulating Redress on another successful competition cycle, Mr. Victor Tsang Chiu Hok, JP, Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, CCIDA, said, “The CCIDA is delighted to be the lead sponsor of the Redress Design Award again, with a view to providing a unique platform for up-and-coming fashion designers around the world to showcase their sustainable designs.”
WINNER JOINS TOMMY HILFIGER FOR SUSTAINABLE RETAIL PROJECT
Winning the coveted First Prize with 2024 Exclusive Fashion Sponsor, Tommy Hilfiger, Tiger Chung from Hong Kong gets the career-changing opportunity to join the Tommy Hilfiger team and work on a sustainable design project for retail, creating a broader impact for the industry and consumers. Tiger out-designed nine other Finalists representing Australia, France, Iran, Italy, Mainland China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam, who were selected from applications across 55 global regions in a rigorous judging process.
“I can’t believe that I’ve won! This is a huge opportunity to showcase circular solutions on a global stage,” shared winner Tiger Chung, whose competition collection ‘The Wanderer’ tapped into waste streams such as car seat covers and discarded sofas. “Fashion is rightly criticised for its negative environmental impact, which is a huge concern for designers like myself. But we intend to change this — and make fashion better for the planet.”
“Circular design is foundational to a sustainable future for fashion,” said Jessica Wei, Senior Director of Sustainability, Tommy Hilfiger Asia Pacific, and Redress Design Award 2024 judge. “Tommy Hilfiger is thrilled to inspire the next generation of designers towards circularity, including welcoming the talented Tiger Chung on board our team to work towards sustainable solutions together.”
At Tommy Hilfiger, all products will contribute to the circular economy by 2030 through design, use and end of life. As part of this strategy, Tommy Hilfiger has a focus on educating their designers around circular design, further cementing Redress and Tommy Hilfiger’s shared alignment for a circular fashion system.
REDRESS BRIDGES THE GAP FOR DESIGNERS TO GO CIRCULAR
Most fashion curricula lack circular design education. Meanwhile, investor analysts and industry leaders are calling for upskilling of designers to future-proof the industry and prepare for impending sustainability legislation. That is why Redress partners with over 170 academic institutions globally to bridge this gap by delivering circular design education.
As part of the Redress Design Award 2024, the Finalists took part in various circular educational challenges. The ‘TAL x Redress Low Waste Design Challenge’ at TAL Apparel’s factory in Vietnam explored commercial solutions for pre-consumer garment waste, while the ‘Packaging with Purpose: Delta Global x Redress Challenge’ examined how sustainable packaging can enhance consumer engagement with brand values.
REDRESS ALUMNI – CATALYSING GLOBAL CHANGE
Redress continues to cultivate fashion game-changers all over the globe by supporting the Redress Alumni Network, a community of 300+ previous Finalists and Semi-finalists from 40+ countries and regions. Over half of these circular design talents are based in Asia, tackling waste in Asia. With diverse circular design talents and solutions, these creatives are at the forefront of a new breed of fashion designers prioritising sustainability and circularity as much as desirability.
Across the fashion industry, Redress Alumni are catalysing incredible change, from dressing celebrities such as Heidi Klum and Taylor Swift, to garnering media spotlights such as WWD’s coverage of Kévin Germanier’s looks at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. With Redress’ support, recent Alumni highlights include Pei-Wen Jin’s trip with Ocean Rising inspiring ocean-inspired embroidery for clothing longevity, 11 Alumni showcasing designs made from upcycled sporting waste at the Paris 2024 Olympics, alum Lola Clavel creating bookmarks from Redress’ clothing takeback waste in Hong Kong, and Micaela Clubourg of Studio Cumbre visiting the Delta Global head office for mentorship and to gain insights into sustainable packaging. Discover more Redress Alumni brands here.
Next up, Redress will partner with Tommy Hilfiger to present a celebratory runway of the Redress Design Award 2024’s emerging Chinese sustainable fashion designers at Shanghai Fashion Week. The collections reinforce Redress’ mission and Tommy Hilfiger’s DNA to create fashion that ‘Wastes Nothing and Welcomes All’.