Puma and Collina Strada reveal BTS of design process for GFA challenge

As part of the Global Fashion Agenda’s (GFA) Designer Challenge 2023, designers from Puma and Collina Strada have unveiled their processes when it comes to sustainable production ahead of the upcoming Global Fashion Summit.

In relation to the initiative, supported by Smiley, the two brands released videos depicting the journey of their designers, with each of the projects to be showcased during a forum at the Copenhagen-based conference.

Puma’s creative director Heiko Desens partnered with Nicole McLaughlin for the brand’s own project ‘Sweep the Factory Floor’, which looked to tackle textile waste by utilising material cut-offs.

Meanwhile, creative director of Collina Strada, Hillary Taymour, teamed up with textile recycling company Renewcell, using the firm’s own cotton Circulose to reimagine a handbag.

In the brand’s video ‘Reimagining the Use of Materials for Bags’, Taymour displays how she tackles the challenge surrounding materials, bringing in Circulose to enhance the process.

In a release, Federica Marchionni, CEO of GFA, said: “With the environmental impact of a garment largely determined in its design phase, design decisions have the power to significantly influence resource use, purchasing and usage behaviour.

“Our GFA Designer Challenge is therefore intended to fuse talented creatives with promising innovations and we are honoured to have the support of key partners to make this year’s challenge even more impactful.“