International Student Design Competition
2023
We are delighted for the third year to host the International Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition 2023, a search for the best new designers around the globe and for those who want to promote slow style and a more sustainable future for fashion.
Are you concerned about fast throwaway fashion and unsustainable materials? According to Greenpeace, synthetics – made using petrochemicals from the oil industry – now make up 60% of our clothing. These clothes not only take hundreds of years to biodegrade but are often cheap and poorly made. The result — nearly one billion items of clothing, each typically worn just five times — are thrown away every year.
In the meantime, leather, a natural by-product of the dairy and meat industries and our growing demand for food — from burgers to milkshakes, can be used to make items that last a lifetime and, when disposed of, biodegrade quickly. Leather is a perfect solution to one of fashion’s biggest problems, but each year almost half of the world’s cattle hides are just thrown away.
To encourage thinking about our planet’s future and to combat this waste, our judges challenge you to create an original, innovative, and visually stunning design, in one of three categories of apparel, accessories or footwear made from real cattle leather. They would also like to see how entrants approach creating garments that will not only last, but be loved, for a lifetime.
The competition, run with our partners at ArtsThread, opens March 1 2023, and closes on June 30 2023. Any entries submitted after that date will not be accepted.
THE BRIEF & DELIVERABLES
You are asked to use leather as the inspiration for a single item, either clothing, shoes, or accessories. Entries must be at least 50% cattle hide leather and any other materials used must be natural or organic materials where possible. We do not accept the use of fur or exotic skins. Plastics must only be used where no natural alternatives are available. We would like your piece to capture one or more of the facets of leather, from beauty and versatility to strength and durability.
Entries should include the following elements:
- A brief summary of your project provided in English.
- Storyboards and design inspiration.
- Sketches, flats, technical specifications, and final design (the item does not need to be physically made at this stage)
- A short two-minute video to introduce you and your design. This is optional but encouraged, as it brings life to your project.
Please give consideration to ease of recycling, reuse and disposal at the end of the product’s life, and also think about the practicalities of commercial production, as we are looking for designers who will start new brands, fashion movements or slow-style trends.
THE PRIZE
Each of the three category winners will receive a trophy, certificate and Coffee Table Book covering the competition and including their entry.
The category winners will have their designs professionally made, and form part of a capsule collection showcasing the best international talent, and unveiled at a final event hosted in Europe in October 2023.
All three category winners and the People’s Choice award winner will win an all expenses-paid trip to attend the final event in Europe where the overall winner will be chosen and announced.
Additional prizes to be announced at a later date.
