[LONDON – November 2nd 2022] The Fashion District and PANGAIA announced the winner of Design Futures 2022 at an Awards Supper at The Conduit in Covent Garden last night. Graysha Audren was announced as the winner for Weffan x Liquid Editions, a collaborative project that culminated in a 3D woven, low-waste outfit that combines two manufacturing steps into one, merging the weaving of the fabric with the creation of the garment.
The runners-up were Osmose Studio, creators of a new restorative and symbiotic clothing production model, where renewable fibres are combined with organic dyes, assisting the remediation of UK polluted land sites; and Nicci James, who uses the capabilities of wool combined with knitted structures to engineer strength into her garments without added interfacings, stabilisers, or linings, presenting a completely mono-material tailoring that is easier to reprocess.
Donated by PANGAIA, Weffan x Liquid Editions will receive a cash prize of £15,000, alongside ten consultancy hours with the brand, a new sewing machine from Anglo American Sewing Machines and one-year desk membership from The Trampery Fish Island Village.
The runners-up receive a cash prize of £5,000 each, donated by PANGAIA, and all three award winners will receive complementary professional membership of Business of Fashion and a 12-month business membership from Common Objective, with global connections, premium intelligence, and courses in sustainable fashion and manufacturing.
Fashion District and London College of Fashion, UAL partnered with PANGAIA to call upon sustainably-driven designers and businesses to present new circular design solutions. Design Futures 2022 challenged designers to develop ways to help longevity, zero waste, designing with waste, material cyclability, and regeneration.
Craig Smith, Research and Development Director of PANGAIA, said: “PANGAIA is delighted to support the Design Futures 2022 winning designers. In trying to find solutions to our industry’s challenges it’s important for us collaborate and connect with creatives at various stages of the commercialisation journey. The design futures prize is a great showcase of early stage approaches to circular design and each of the winners has the potential to make a real difference in the fashion industry with their innovations.”
Nine designers were shortlisted for their creativity, originality and circular design thinking, as well as the potential for their innovation to be marketed and scaled.
The winners were selected by our high-profile panel of leading sustainability and fashion experts: Craig Smith, PANGAIA; Shailja Dubé, Institute of Positive Fashion, British Fashion Council; Lee Lapthorne, On|Off; Catriona Woolner-Winder, Selfridges; Phoebe English, Designer; and Laetitia Forst, Centre for Circular Design.
Helen Lax, Director of Fashion District, said: “Design Futures 2022 has demonstrated the extraordinary breadth of talent we have here in the UK. We have a real opportunity to use this momentum to advance the field of circular design, both within the industry and across other sectors, to help make a positive impact on the planet and change the fashion industry for good.”
Those shortlisted included:
1. Andrew Bell
Integrating traditional tailoring techniques with sonic welding and taping technologies Andrew created a lightweight garment that is mono-material, allowing it to be easily reprocessed at the end-of-life stage.
2. Daniel Crabtree
Reimagining British tailoring, Daniel Crabtree offers menswear staples built to endure and crafted from repurposed fabrics and materials to eliminate waste from development and production processes.
3. FibreLab
FibreLab assists fashion businesses to implement circular practices by shredding their unwanted textiles and developing innovative ways to use them. Their look explores sustainability through hyper-local sourcing, modularity, and design for disassembly.
4. Savvas Alexander
Enabling made-to-order systems that tackle overproduction and overconsumption Savvas’ innovation reduces garment processes and speeds up manufacture by sealing garment edges, and eliminating excess finishes and fastenings.
5. Skins of Earth
Skins of Earth is a plant-based luxury handbag brand with sculptural designs from paleobiology. Made from natural rubber biomaterials that are grown as a live form using a low-energy incubation system designs can be biodegradable after their life cycle.
6. Y.A.N.G. (You Are the Next Generation)
Y.A.N.G. minimises waste through a method of garment reconstruction that allows retailers to efficiently reconstruct or redesign their excess stock. This will help them cut out waste, extend the life of their products, and introduce garment remaking techniques.
Shailja Dube, Institute of Positive Fashion Lead, British Fashion Council said:
“By disrupting the status quo and future-thinking the circular design needs of the industry, the designers have produced innovations that challenge mainstream fashion systems”.