Redress Design Award to offer winner a collaboration with Timberland

Sustainable fashion competition, Redress Design Award has opened applications for 2021 and has announced career-changing prizes including an opportunity to collaborate with Timberland on a design project, as well as win 50,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Organised by environmental charity Redress with Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor, the Redress Design Award challenges fashion designers to showcase sustainable, innovative and textile waste-reducing designs.

For its 11th year, Redress Design Award will award the first prize winner with 50,000 Hong Kong dollars (6,400 US dollars) as development funding, as well as a high-performance lockstitch machine and an overlock sewing machine from Juki. In addition, the winner will join VF Corporation’s Timberland team to collaborate on a design project and to work closely with VF’s sustainability and responsibility team to gain exciting insights from across the supply chain from sourcing to product development, while deepening their skills and understanding around sustainable production and marketing.

The Timberland prize partnership forms part of a wider long-term strategic relationship between the Redress Design Award and VF and marks the third year that the fashion and lifestyle brand has been involved with the competition.

The partnership will also include a design challenge for all ten finalists later this year plus collaboration on key content around circular design in action for the Redress Design Award 2021 open access Learn platform, organisers added.

Redress Design Award opens 2021 competition to emerging sustainable designers

Redress founder Christina Dean said in a statement: “We are thrilled to welcome VF once again to the Redress Design Award as a key partner. Our shared vision with VF and Timberland - of ensuring that the fashion industry leaves a positive impact - is core to our partnership.

“The industry needs knowledgeable professionals entering the market and our work to educate the future generation of designers and business owners is vital. VF is one of a few organisations truly demonstrating a progressive approach to sustainability, and the opportunity for the competition winner to gain real-life industry experience through the prize with Timberland is a true career-changing opportunity.”

The Runner-up and Hong Kong Best winners of the 2021 Redress Design Award will each receive 15,000 Hong Kong dollars (1,900 US dollars) as development funding, and a sewing machine from Juki.

Emerging designers, with less than four years professional experience, have until March 15 to apply to the Redress Design Award 2021 competition.

Thirty semi-finalists will be announced on April 22, followed by ten finalists on May 13. The finalists will show their collections in Hong Kong in early September at the livestreamed Grand Final Show, where the winners will be announced.

This year the judging panel includes Orsola de Castro, fashion designer, co-founder of Estethica and co-founder of Fashion Revolution, who will become a mentor to the runner-up, alongside Desiree Au, founding publisher of Vogue Hong Kong, Angus Tsui, creative director, and alumnus, Redress Design Award, and Kriti Tula, co-founder and creative director of Doodlage.

Image: courtesy of Timberland