The EcoChic Design Award China 2012

Posted on May 22, 2012 by waikit

Redress launches The EcoChic Design Award China 2012, a sustainable fashion design competition challenging emerging fashion designers to create mainstream fashion with minimal textile waste. The competition provides designers with the sustainable design tools to take them through six months of design and theory that culminates at a grand final runway show at Shanghai Fashion Week in October. Twelve grand finalists will then compete for the chance to design a sustainable collection for retailer Esprit, visit John Hardy’s sustainable Bali-based production facilities and visit Hong Kong Fashion Week.

“Everyone is a fashion consumer yet few people consider the underlying environmental impacts embedded into our clothing, including textile waste, water pollution, chemical and energy use. Through The EcoChic Design Award, we are ultimately addressing these negative environmental outcomes by going to the source of the fashion industry to educate emerging fashion designers,” said Christina Dean, founder of Redress.

The award is supported by a number of high profile personalities from the fashion industry, including award ambassador Zhu Zhu
“The fashion industry is loved for its creativity and expression but it is one of the world’s most polluting industries. With China being the garment manufacturing hub of the world, the negative impacts arising from the fashion industry are close to home. Few people realize that designers influence an estimated 80 percent of the environmental impact of a product. It is crucial to encourage and educate emerging fashion designers about their important role in making tomorrow’s fashion industry more sustainable’ said model and actress Zhu Zhu (朱珠)

More broadly, the competition raises industry and consumer awareness about the negative environmental impacts caused by waste from the fashion industry. It is estimated that 10 million tonnes of textiles are wasted annually in Europe and America alone1 and that 15 percent of textiles are wasted in the manufacturing process2. With China being the largest exporter of apparel and textiles in the world, responsible for making approximately 40 percent of the world’s textiles3 and 30 percent of apparel exports4; figures for China’s textile waste appear very high.

Calling local designers to break the boundaries of conventional fashion
The EcoChic Design Award puts the spotlight onto China’s emerging sustainable fashion design talent, creating a platform to expand Asia’s sustainable fashion landscape. The competition is open to fashion design students and designers with up to five years industry experience residing in China.

Visit the official site of EcoChic Design Award China