Zalando and Copenhagen Fashion Week announces all-female shortlist for Sustainability Award

Zalando and Copenhagen Fashion Week have shortlisted Ukrainian clothing brand TG Botanical, Swedish-based Selam Fessahaye and Copenhagen-based Stamm for the Zalando Sustainability Award.

The accolade celebrates brands that “drive positive change and contribute to a more responsible fashion industry,” and will be presented during Copenhagen Fashion Week, between January 31 and February 3, 2023. It is open to designers from around the world and was designed to encourage fashion brands “to explore new solutions and share forward-thinking ideas that minimise the impact the fashion industry has on the environment”.

The shortlisted brands were selected by a jury, including the chief executive of Copenhagen Fashion Week Cecilie Thorsmark, sustainability and brand advisor Dio Kurazawa, and Zalando's head of circularity Laura Coppen and director of designer and luxury Lena Sophie Röper.

In a statement, Zalando said that the jury selected the finalists “based on their dedication to improving the impact of their products, through the materials they source, and the manufacturing methods used to produce their collections”. This season's they also examined each brand's use of certified materials, production processes, innovation, transparency and integration of circular practices.

Zalando Sustainability Award names TG Botanical, Selam Fessahaye and Stamm as finalists

Materials used by the finalists was a focus this season from the jury, with designer Tetyana Chumak at TG Botanical opting for natural materials such as linen, hemp and organic cotton, while Selam Fessahaye is developing her own textile made from recycled material, which she aims to incorporate in her future collections. With regards to Stamm, founder Elisabet Stamm has worked with Indian handspun Khadi, a heritage handloom textile mainly made with cotton dyed with either natural indigo or herbs and tree bark.

Laura Coppen, head of circularity at Zalando, said in a statement: “The Zalando Sustainability Award is an important part of the fabric that makes up Copenhagen Fashion Week. As we enter the fifth season, we are continuously impressed and inspired by the brands who apply.

“This season is no exception as we have three female finalists with different backgrounds and stories - all with their own unique approach to sustainable product design and fashion. They are a vibrant and dynamic trio weaving the tapestry of the future of design.”

The three finalists will receive funding for production costs to debut their designs at Copenhagen Fashion Week in the Zalando Greenhouse. The winner of the Sustainability Award announced on February 2, 2023, will receive 20,000 euros and a partnership with Zalando to develop an exclusive capsule collection.

Previous winners of the Zalando Sustainability Award include London/Reykjavík-based design studio Ranra, House of Dagmar, Nikolaj Storm, and Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen.