London, 25 September 2024: Josslyn Shi, from California College of Art, was named overall winner of the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) International Student Design Competition final held at the U.S. Embassy in London (23 September 2024).
This year’s competition saw an extraordinary display of creativity and sustainable design from students around the globe. After months of deliberation and judging, Josslyn was selected from four talented category winners who presented their designs to a distinguished panel of judges, including Christopher Koerber of HUGO BOSS, Anna Melegh from Christian Louboutin, Adrien Yakimov Roberts, Mike Adler, and Matteo Mastrotto, CEO of Rino Mastrotto.
Josslyn, 21, representing the California College of Art, was crowned the overall champion of the 2024 competition for her outstanding design project titled Ephemeral Eclosion, inspired by the lifecycle of butterflies, which deeply impressed the panel with its combination of craftsmanship, innovation and commitment to sustainability.
Ambassador Jane D. Hartley said: “It was a pleasure to host this event showcasing what an ancient material like leather can do in the hands of talented and creative designers. As a firm believer in slow and sustainable fashion, I believe it’s essential we use – and reuse – materials like real leather that help reduce our waste and support vital industries. My thanks to all who made it possible, and congratulations again to our winners.”
Kerry Brozyna, President, Leather & Hide Council of America, commented: “Real Leather. Stay Different. celebrates the next generation of design talent. It underscores the importance of using natural materials, such as leather, which is not only a by-product but also a sustainable, durable and versatile. These young designers show the way forward by focusing on sustainable solutions that stand the test of time.”
Christopher Koerber added: “The talent on show has been outstanding. Real Leather. Stay Different. plays an important role in showcasing and elevating young designers who are embracing leather as a material to create innovative designs, to global audience.”
Developed by Leather & Hide Council of America (L&HCA), Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) celebrates talented young designers utilising leather as a natural alternative to fast fashion. The competition was open to current students and recent graduates (2022 + 2023). Addressing the pressing issue of fast fashion’s environmental impact, participants were encouraged to use natural materials and to create a bespoke leather item using 50% or more cattle-hide leather that falls into one of three categories: apparel, footwear or accessory.
The winner’s design, along with those of the category winners Mor Elfassy (Apparel) from Shenkar College of Engineering, Design & Art in Israel; Roscha Dinler (Footwear) from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany and Bingbing Bai (Accessories) from Kingston University in the UK, will be showcased in a capsule collection that highlights the importance of natural materials and sustainable design in fashion.
Finalists from previous competitions have gone on to work for top design brands including Loewe, Dior, Oscar de la Renta and Louboutin.
For more information: https://chooserealleather.com.