Emerging Designers, Stitch a Sustainable Future with Redress Design Award 2024

Global competition calls for circular fashion innovators to collaborate with Tommy Hilfiger and shape the industry’s next chapter.

Redress, Asia-focused environmental NGO championing circular fashion, kicks off the Redress Design Award 2024 in partnership with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government as the Lead Sponsor. This year, iconic fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger joins forces with Redress to nurture emerging talent and accelerate the transition to a sustainable fashion future.

“Fashion is one of the world’s most polluting industries,” remarks Dr. Christina Dean, Founder of Redress. “We urgently need to embrace circular fashion, which eliminates waste and preserves resources. Working from our Hong Kong base, we collaborate with brands like Tommy Hilfiger and brilliant designers to create a more responsible fashion industry, today.”

Mr. Victor Tsang, Head of Create Hong Kong, highlights the competition’s role in fostering international cultural exchange. “The Redress Design Award attracts design elites from around the world, positioning Hong Kong as a vibrant East-meets-West hub for creative exchange.”

Tommy Hilfiger, renowned for its commitment to sustainable and inclusive fashion, is offering the Redress Design Award 2024 First Prize winner a unique opportunity. The winner will join the Tommy Hilfiger design team on a retail-focused sustainable design project, gaining invaluable industry experience and building expertise in eco-conscious fashion.

Tommy Hilfiger’s “Wastes Nothing and Welcomes All” philosophy reflects its dedication to sustainability and inclusivity. The brand explores circular materials and manufacturing methods, like creating quality pieces from textile waste, while minimizing its environmental footprint. Additionally, Tommy Hilfiger champions inclusivity through programs and partnerships that make fashion accessible to underrepresented communities.

Urgent Need for Circular Fashion Education

The current “take, make, waste” linear model of fashion is unsustainable and pollutes our planet. An estimated 100 billion garments are produced annually, generating 92 million tons of textile waste, with a truckload of textiles landfilled or incinerated every second.

80% of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage, emphasizing the importance of circular design principles. To equip designers with the necessary knowledge, Redress offers a free online Circular Fashion Design Course featuring leading industry experts. Launching on January 23rd, the “Design for Recyclability” module, taught by Jessica Wei, Senior Director of Sustainability at Tommy Hilfiger Asia Pacific, will be exclusively available to Redress Design Award applicants until March 15th.

With over 170 university partners and its free online Redress Academy platform, Redress has empowered over 120,000 students, designers, and industry professionals with the knowledge and tools to navigate the shift towards a circular fashion future.

Emerging designers from around the world are invited to apply for the Redress Design Award 2024 before the deadline of March 15th. Visit www.redressdesignaward.com for detailed guidelines and submission information.