The Fabricant announces winners of AI Design Forward 2026

The Fabricant has announced the winners of Design Forward 2026, an international competition for emerging designers in the fashion industry who work with AI design tools. The 2026 edition marked the competition's debut. An international jury selected ten winners from a pool of 15 finalists.

First prize was awarded to Reborn Myths by Tiia Jaakkola of Kolding School of Design in Denmark. The collection combines post-consumer denim waste with Finnish folklore and contemporary streetwear.

Second place went to Invisible Architecture by Akriti Awatwani of Instituto Marangoni in Italy.

Andre Fonseca Vieira of the University of Lisbon finished third with the collection “Streetwear Preppy”.

The winner of Design Forward 2026 will receive six months of free access to The Fabricant's platform and an interview in the Digital Weave videocast. They will also get a mention on the company's social media channels and a certificate of participation. The second and third place winners will receive three and one month of free access to the platform, respectively. The top ten finalists will also each receive 150 credits for The Fabricant's platform.

Submissions from 21 countries

Designers from 21 countries and 45 design schools worldwide participated in the competition. Finalists came from countries including Denmark, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, India and Malaysia.

Adriana Pereira, co-founder of The Fabricant, stated that the competition demonstrates how AI provides designers worldwide with access to the same creative tools, irrespective of their location.

AI as a tool, not a replacement

The role of AI was a central theme during the judging process, questioning whether technology primarily serves to generate new ideas or to innovate existing concepts. The jury found that the most successful submissions were those where the designer's personal signature remained visible, with AI employed as a supportive tool.

The jury included representatives from The Fabricant, Vice Media, Bestseller, Fashion for Good, Vivienne Westwood and FashionUnited.