EcoChic Design Awards 2013

The EcoChic Design Award 2013 is all about caring the environment through fashion.

Having talent and passion in fashion is truly a gift, but to care and support the environment’s sustainability at the same time, it’s the more important thing one must intend. Redress, an NGO to promote sustainable environment in fashion industry, is giving a chance for emerging fashion designers in Asia and Europe to not only filing up their creativity, but also proving that fashion can change the world into a better living place through EcoChic Design Award 2013, a design competition aims in creating mainstream clothing with minimal textile waste.

Other than collaborations with Create Hong Kong, Esprit, John Hardy, Miele, Vincent, Lily Woo Trust, ADM Capital Foundation, and Sandy Lam, the competition is also contributing design schools in Singapore such as LASALLE College of Arts & Raffles College of Higher Education.

If you have a heart for the environment and have a passion for fashion here are the requirements to apply for the EcoChic Desgin Awards 2013.

Aged 18 or above (as of the application closing date on 15 August 2013).

Currently live with a valid ID/passport/visa/resident permit in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, UK, France, Belgium or Germany.

A fashion designer with less than three years’ professional fashion design experience or a fashion design student studying in any year at an educational institute in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, UK, France, Belgium or Germany.

An individual (group applications are not permitted).

HERE’S HOW TO APPLY

Download the application form HERE

Submission Requirements :

1. One mood board illustrating the theme, inspiration and color of your entire competition collection.

2. Three ready-to-wear outfit illustrations with technical drawings based on one or more of the sustainable design techniques zero-waste, up-cycling and reconstruction. No complete outfits are required to be made in the open application. All artwork must be original creations designed by you and they must not have been seen in public previously.

3. Information about your textile selection including the type and source. Up-cycling and reconstruction designs must be based on textile waste. Zero-waste designs may be based on any type of textile, whether waste or non-waste, with a preference shown for sustainable textiles. You will be asked to provide photos of the original textiles, before any cutting or alteration.

4. Three brief written statements about your aspirations.

Notes :

It must be in pdf format & do not exceed 10MB. Email your application form to your specific region’s email address, from the region in which you live and are applying from.

Email addresses can be found here: http://www.ecochicdesignaward.com/contact-us/

The deadline to email your application form is Thursday 15 August 2013 at 11.59pm (local time in your region). Any application forms received after this time will not be accepted.

Within 24 hours of submitting your application form, you will receive an email from Redress to confirm we have received your application form.

KEY DATES

15 August 2013 – online application deadline

2 September 2013 – 24 semi-finalists officially announced

16 September 2013 – 8 finalists announced

14-16 January 2014 – Redress forum

16 January 2014 – grand final fashion show and winner announced at Hong Kong Fashion Week

February – March 2014 – touring exhibition in 8 regions

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN TECHNIQUES

The applicants must be able to propose these 3 techniques into their design and making process:

ZERO-WASTE – A design technique that eliminates textile waste at the design stage

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rikkAuaoUGs&feature=youtu.be

2.UP-CYCLING – The recycling of a material into a product of higher quality

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_f_MNIUC54&feature=youtu.be

3.RECONSTRUCTION – The process of making the clothes from previously worn outfits or preformed finished products

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDkO52LG-U8&feature=youtu.be

1st prize winners at The EcoChic Design Award 2013 in partnership with Esprit will design a recycled textile clothing collection for Esprit for their global retail. This will expand the competition’s impact by providing sustainable fashion to the mass market at a competitive price point.

2nd prize winner- The EcoChic Design Award 2013 in partnership with John Hardy. This winner will go on an educational trip to learn first-hand how John Hardy integrates environmental and social sustainability into the core of their design, production, and business philosophy.

 Special Prize – The EcoChic Design Award 2013 in partnership with Sandy Lam. This winner will design a sustainable outfit for artist Sandy Lam to wear in a feature ELLE Hong Kong to ”redress” consumers’ attitudes towards sustainable fashion.

 The other 8 finalists prizes will get to showcase their sustainable collection at Hong Kong Fashion Week & will receive an all expense five-day educational trip to Hong Kong, including a stylish stay at Hong Kong’s well loved 5 star hotel, The Upper House.

 They will also attend The Redress Forum seminar and workshop in Hong Kong receive further opportunities to gain educational mini-awards and mini-prizes in Hong Kong, have their designs shot by a professional photographer and stylist in Hong Kong showcase their designs in a touring exhibition after the competition concludes in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, UK, France, Belgium and Germany

Apart from that they will receive a two-hour mentorship with a local sustainable fashion expert, a stunning recycled silver John Hardy gift, a subscription to the online portal ‘The Berg Fashion Library (from September 2013 to January 2014), ten sustainable fabric swatches from Source4Style.com, and other fabulous promotion on Redress’ and The EcoChic Design Award’s websites and social media

 The other 24 finalists will also receive amazing prizes for all your hard work and participation together with countless future opportunities. For more information, do visit ecochicdesignaward.com.Good luck!