British Student Wins RLSD 2025 international fashion Awards in 5th year
Winner’s ambition to take ground-breaking modular design to market
- Jamie Unlu O’Grady’s ‘SubTraction’ takes title in face of strong competition from Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Palestinian and Italian finalists
- Winner’s ambition to take ground-breaking modular design to market
- Judges applaud true innovation, ecological focus and commercial mindset
Taipei, Taiwan [28 October 2025] – At an awards ceremony held today at Taiwan’s Taipei 101 for the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) 2025 International Student Design Competition, judges crowned Jamie Unlu O’Grady, from the UK’s De Montfort University, as the competition’s “Overall Winner 2025”. O’Grady’s modular footwear design SubTraction captivated judges with its blend of innovation, sustainability and design integrity. Collecting his trophy Jamie commented:
“RLSD gave me the platform to test a radical concept in front of some of the fashion industry’s most respected voices. The next step is to explore funding opportunities to support the development of SubTraction and see how far it can go.”
The judging panel included Christopher Koerber, Managing Director, Hugo Boss Ticino, , Adrien Roberts, fashion education expert, Mike Alder, celebrity stylist, Yu Lee李瑜, fashion influencer and Kora Hsieh, Editor in Chief of Harper’s BAZAAR Taiwan who commented:
“Jamie has taken his submission to a phenomenal point. What impressed the judges most was his commitment to true innovation, with design philosophy at the heart of his thinking.
“He hasn’t fallen into the trap of chasing fashion trends. Every design choice was deliberate and reasoned – a very thorough, well thought-out concept that has huge potential for commercialisation. Even the inclusion of a logo on the shoe spoke volumes about his professional foresight.”
Jamie added:
“My dream is to take it from concept to product – something that can live in the real world and actually change how people buy, wear and sustain their shoes.”
He was joined on stage by international finalists – Sara Jacqueline Morandini (Accessories, Italy), Lan Anh Nguyễn (People’s Choice, Vietnam) and Islam Nashef (Apparel, Jerusalem), – who showcased design concepts exploring themes from psychological protection to primal forces of nature and ecological resilience. They were accompanied by Wu Jo I, winner of the RLSD Taiwan regional competition, as the host country representative.
Sara Jacqueline Morandini was highly commended for her unisex collection Ombrage, which judges called “comprehensive, well researched and highly technical.”
“Being part of RLSD has been an extraordinary experience,” said Sara “I’ve had the chance to connect with other designers who are just as passionate about sustainability and craftsmanship. This recognition motivates me to keep pushing my design language forward – my goal is to establish myself as an independent designer whose work bridges concept and wearability.”
Kerry Brozyna, President of the Leather & Hide Council of America – which funds the programme – congratulated all finalists;
“This competition is about more than aesthetics. It’s about equipping young designers to challenge fast fashion, and reimagine the way we design and manufacture to support sustainability. Every one of our finalists is a winner in their own right – they represent the next generation of talent who will redefine responsible design using sustainable, natural fibres rather than environmentally polluting petroleum-based synthetics.”
Jamie’s winning design will now feature in the RLSD Capsule Collection, along with all the other international category winners, that is showcased at fashion and sustainability events around the world. RLSD, now in its fifth year, continues to grow as a global platform for student designers, this year receiving nearly 1500 entries from mor e than 75 design institutions worldwide.
The Taipei final follows standout finals in London and Milan, highlighting the continued impact the competition is having encouraging fashion design students to chose design-led sustainability over disposable, environmentally damaging, petroleum-based, plastic fibres.
Meet the RLSD 2025 International Category Winners
Footwear: Jamie Unlu O’Grady (De Montfort University, UK). Design title: SubTraction
SubTraction reimagines footwear as a modular system – personal, purposeful and circular. Bold in its rejection of convention, the project channels Dieter Rams’ principles into a language of simplicity and endurance. Laser-cut cowhide becomes both material and metaphor: durable yet adaptable, it speaks to longevity and renewal. Components assemble without glue or stitching, allowing parts to be replaced, interchanged, or biodegraded independently. Function meets imagination – uppers shifting with climate, palettes evolving with taste, soles adapting to terrain.
“These shoes can last a lifetime. Something breaks? Replace it with a new part. Your taste changes? Swap out the shapes, colours, and materials. Move to the top of a mountain? Put on a waterproof upper and grippy sole.” Jamie Unlu O’Grady
Apparel: Islam Nashef (Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Israel). Design title: Shields
Shields explores the push-pull between the ego’s urge to protect, control and impress – and the equally powerful currents of vulnerability, tenderness and longing in pursuit of inner harmony. Armour-evoking constructions and a black-and-white palette mirror these opposing forces. Choosing leather for its strength and adaptability, Islam treats it as both material and metaphor – a protective skin. Silhouettes range from structured, tailored forms to looser, more fluid pieces with supportive elements, joined using a functional zigzag stitch. The result projects confidence, even in moments of inner doubt.
“This piece explores the tension between the ego’s desire to protect, control and impress, and the contrasting emotions of vulnerability, tenderness and a deep yearning for love.” Islam Nashef
Accessories: Sara Morandini (Accademia Costume & Moda, Italy). Design title: Ombrage
Ombrage is a unisex collection of leather goods, footwear and jewellery inspired by the primal forces of nature – water, air, earth and fire. Exploring instinct, duality and the shadows within, it draws on material experimentation with wood and leather and a handwoven technique to create raw, ancestral forms. The collection embraces contrast, capturing the tension between light and dark to reflect the journey towards self-awareness.
“Ombrage is a men’s and women’s Leather Goods, Footwear and Jewellery collection born from a curiosity to explore and observe everything we tend to overlook or hide.” Sara Morandini
People’s Choice: Lan Anh Nguyễn (Hoa Sen University, Vietnam). Design title: Horn to Hope
Horn-to-Hope unites the strength of the rhino with the resilience of the orchid to symbolise endurance through adversity. Rhinos, threatened by poaching, and orchids, thriving in harsh conditions, become a single emblem of perseverance and care. The piece is a reminder of the beauty within struggle – and of our responsibility to protect what’s at risk. We may be the cause of their suffering, but we can also be the reason they survive.
“Horn-to-Hope symbolises resilience through the unexpected union of rhinos and orchids – two powerful survivors.” Lan Anh Nguyễn
Host Nation Representative (Taiwan): Wu Jo-I, Shin Chien University. Design title: Pressure Lines Between Head and Shoulders
Jo-I’s work begins with the perception of a scene, transforming observed moments into geometric and structural forms. She views leather not as mere decoration, but as a medium that connects with the body and records sensation and time. Each design becomes a question and experiment about “how wearing can be felt.”
Starting from the human body, she explores the interaction between objects and posture, positioning bags as interventions rather than simple tools. Attentive to materials and details, she makes use of leather’s plasticity, tension, and texture to create contrasts of structure—balancing flexibility and strength. Through this process, she invites viewers to rethink the boundaries between body, material, and design.
For more information:
- Education partner – Arts Thread: artsthread.com
- Real Leather. Stay Different. is funded by The Leather & Hide Council of America: usleather.org
