CHINA’S GREEN FASHION TAKES CENTRE STAGE
Enter Now For China’s First EcoChic Design Award, launching in 2012 and be part of the design wave that goes beyond the boundaries of conventional fashion.
The EcoChic Design Award 2012 brings sustainable fashion in China into the spotlight. Launched by Redress, a charity dedicated to environmental sustainability in the fashion industry, participants must design a sustainable collection involving principles such as up-cycling, zero-waste and reconstruction.
“These are techniques that I use in some of my very own designs,” says Designer Dorian Ho. “For example by reconstructing old samples into ‘new’ and by up-cycling fabric swatches into unique gowns.”
Redress maintains that the role of the designer – in finding ways to re-use and up-cycle old fabrics into their designs – is pivotal in developing a more sustainable fashion industry, by reducing the amount of waste generated. It is estimated that designers influence up to 80 percent of the environmental impact of a product.
“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,” said Christina Dean, founder of Redress. “Through The EcoChic Design Award, we are addressing these negative environmental outcomes by going to the source, to educate emerging designers.”
Award Ambassador and Actress, Zhu Zhu, adds: “Every coin has two sides, fashion is no exception. 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.”
Other judges include Helen Lee (Deputy Secretary General of Shanghai Fashion Designers’ Association) Margaret Kutt (Manager for Sustainable Projects, ESPRIT), Orsola de Castro (Co-founder of From Somewhere and Estethica) and Xiao Xue (Editorial Director of ELLE China).
Participants must produce a ‘minimal waste’ design collection. The 12 finalists will later send their entire 6 piece sustainable collections down the runway at Shanghai Fashion Week, in October. Awards are as follows:
1. “The EcoChic Design Award in partnership with ESPRIT.”
Design a sustainable collection for ESPRIT, made using recycled textiles.
2. “The EcoChic People’s Award in partnership with John Hardy”
Visit John Hardy’s sustainable production facilities in Bali, voted by the public online.
3. “The EcoChic Most Promising Student Award”
Visit Hong Kong Fashion Week in 2013.
The EcoChic Design competition is open to all design students and designers with up to five years of experience. Applicants must also reside in China.
To enter, visit: china.ecochicdesignaward.com
Watch: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzc4ODQzMjY0.html
Good Luck!
