Category Archives: Competition

Fashioning the Future Award winners announced, London

On November 10^th, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), at London College of Fashion, announced the winners of this year’s Fashioning the Future Awards — themed UNIQUE.

Congratulations to Ashley Brock (United States), Sara Emilie Terp Hansen (Denmark), Evelyn Lebis (Sweden), Christian Frank Muller (Germany) Alice Payne (Australia), and Lara Torres (Portugal).

Here is a taste of just two of the award winning entries (now added to the ‘Projects for Change’ collection on the left):

“Man sinking to the floor” from “An impossible wardrobe for the invisible,” by Lara Torres, is “a video installation showcasing water soluble clothing in order to comment upon the transient and disposable nature of fashion.” (CSF) Click here to view the entire series of performances.

“Lara Torres present’s the recordings/documentation of seven performances in a video screening. These videos are based in the creation of temporary clothes that are produced with the aim of being destroyed. They refer to the los[s] of the object and the documentation of this loss. The action of effacing the clothes leaves a trace (the seams) translating a strong relation with memory and forgetfulness.” (Lara Torres, An impossible wardrobe for the invisible: vimeo)

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ThinkLifecycle, by Alice Payne, is “a widely applicable content management system joining new and existing industry practices in order for companies to evolve towards a sustainable fashion industry.” (CSF)

“The ThinkLifecycle CMS grew from the need for sustainability to be a central concern within the mass market design process, rather than a tacked-on extra. Mass market fashion is affordable, accessible and democratic. However, it is based on a linear model of production where resources are extracted en masse, manufactured into garments and then sold to consumers, who rapidly dispose of them to purchase new product.” (ThinkLifecycle)

Congratulations to all the winners, finalists, organizers and participants!

Source: the CSF

Photo Credit: Alex Maguire, via the CSF

Ethical Fashion Forum inspires and rewards through INNOVATION

The 2011 Ethical Fashion Forum INNOVATION Award winners (UK) and shortlisted candidates (USA) have been announced!

With an expert judging panel, the INNOVATION award inspires and rewards, with winners showcased through widespread press coverage, an opportunity to show at Pure London (August) or Nolcha Fashion Week (September) and a professional photoshoot.

Head on over to EFF site to check out all the details:

EKO – Winner of Pure Award

Chichia for Made by Africa – Winner of Pure Award

Caipora – Winner of Accessories Award

A.L.A.S – Winner of PURE Spirit Award

Genuine Article – Winner of One to Watch Award

ULTRA – Winner of Innovation in Design and Sourcing Award

Shortlisted candidates for the Innovation USA Award have also been announced:

ADO Clothing

AFIA

The Andean Collection

Congratulations to EFF, INNOVATION Award winners and all shortlisted entries!

EcoChic Design Award | Hong Kong

Young designers, recent graduates, and design students! Redress Hong Kong has released a design brief for the first EcoChic Design Award held in Hong Kong S.A.R. To participate, you must be a Hong Kong resident, between 18-30 years old, in your final year of school or recently graduated with less than 5 years work experience. Register online at www.ecochicdesignaward.com

The deadline for the first round is February 28th on which you must submit 4 marketable outfits designed with an 18-25 year old Hong Kong chic in mind. There are 3 rounds. Finalists will compete for:

An internship with Orsola de Castro designer of From Somewhere based in London
Design a recycled textile capsule collection for Esprit
Featured in EcoChic fashion shows and exhibitions in 2011

Good luck!

If you’re interested in the events that go along with this competition like the EcoChic Design Academy and Reform: The Exhibition, be sure to check out the calendar page.

***The responsible fashion scene in Asia isn’t ‘huge’. Thank you Redress Hong Kong for building up awareness, and opportunities for those passionate about sustainable fashion. Special thanks to Christina Dean from Redress Hong Kong for letting us know about this amazing opportunity!!!

Fashioning the Future 2011 Award // Fashion’s Campaign for Unique

Attention tutors, students, and recent graduates! The Centre for Sustainable Fashion has launched the 2011 Fashioning the Future Award brief.

What kind of world are you designing for?
What is your motivation as a designer?
What is your unique contribution to our collective futures?

To participate, you must register your interest online: www.sustainable-fashion.com from1 October 2010 where you will have access to resources and ideas to stimulate your work.

Here are the submission dates and deadlines:

Round 1 of submission: you will be required to submit your work online by 15 June 2011.

Candidates who are shortlisted from Round 1 will be invited to Round 2!

Round 2 submission deadline: July 2011.

Good luck!

Source: Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion

drc: Design Research Conference 2010// IIT Institute of Design + Competition

“The IIT Institute of Design’s 9th Annual Design Research Conference (DRC) will be held at the Spertus Institute in downtown Chicago on May 10-12th 2010. It will feature exceptional international speakers and opportunities to spend time with our brilliant community of designers, planners, researchers, educators, students, managers and executives concerned with understanding people.” (drc)

This year’s conference includes a design research competition. The deadline to apply is April 2^nd, but hey…you still have 3 days! The winners will get to speak at the conference, and will be included in the program.

Click here to apply! Good Luck!

Check out this year’s speakers:

Tim Brown | IDEO

Martha Cotton | gravitytank

Erica Eden | Smart Design, Femme Den

Kim Erwin | IIT Institute of Design

Diane Fraley | D.S. Fraley Associates

Heather Fraser | Rotman Designworks

Usman Haque | Pachube

Cathy Huang | China Bridge International

Stokes Jones | Lodestar

Anjali Kelkar | Studio for Design Research

Diane Lee | Smart Design

Yvonne Lin | Smart Design, Femme Den

Gerald Lombardi | Hall & Partners

Doug Look | Autodesk

Bill Lucas | LUMA Institute, MAYA Design

Don Norman | Nielsen Norman Group

Sona Patadia | PDT

Ron Pierce | Stuart Karten Design

Heather Reavey | Continuum

Rick E. Robinson | Sideriver Ventures

Rob Tannen | Bresslergroup

Paula Wellings | Adaptive Path

Eric Wilmot | Wolff Olins

Lisa Yanz | PDT

Title: drc: Design Research Conference 2010// IIT Institute of Design
Location: Chicago
Link out: Click here
Start Date: 2010-05-10
End Date: 2010-05-12

Call for Entries// The Earth Awards

The Earth Awards is a global search for creative solutions designed for the 21st Century. The award represents six categories: Built Environment, Product, Future, Systems, Fashion, and Social Justice.

Dilys Williams, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion, has been included in the Selection Committee, and will be judging the Fashion category, along with other designers, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, humanitarians, environmentalists and spiritual leaders.

Here is the mission of the awards:

Human imagination and ingenuity are the impetus of every good design. All across the world, people from every walk of life are generating good design ideas that offer groundbreaking solutions to the ecological and social challenges of the 21st century. The Earth Awards provides a platform for these visionary ideas, presenting a unique opportunity for individuals and organizations worldwide to expose their design innovations to a global audience. The Earth Awards is committed to the idea of popularizing the most viable of these innovations, and transforming them into market-ready solutions.

The submission period closes May 10^th. Good Luck!

Check out this video of last year’s finalists!

Source: CSF

VOTE// Fashion Takes Action, Design Forward Award

Who’s your favourite responsible Canadian designer?

Fashion Takes Action (FTA) has officially launched Canada’s 1^st annual eco design award, Design Forward.

I had the pleasure of working on this project, and I am so excited that Social Alterations could support this important initiative in Canada, and I will explain the extent of our participation in an upcoming post, so stay tuned!

Here are the nominees:

All the information you need has been made available to you, the public, and you are invited to vote online for the designer you believe best represents ‘eco design’ in Canada. Once you have cast your vote, the decision will be left in the hands of the jury, who will select their winning choice from the top three finalists.

The criterion for voting is based on production, material, design, and special features. Take your time getting to know each designer: you only get one vote, so make it count!

Check out the prize, valued at approximately $50,000!

A free membership in Fashion Takes Action
A three-month national PR campaign, provided by Third Eye Media
Feature in EcoSalon – the number one green fashion blog!
Participation at Nolcha Fashion Week’s Ethical Fashion Preview in NYC in September 2010
Travel and accommodations for two, provided by Air Miles Reward Program
75 meters of eco-friendly fabric, supplied by Telio (to make a sample collection to show in NYC)
Look book photo shoot with full creative team including photographer, models, hair & makeup and stylist
Look book graphic design by pencil design
$1,000 towards Fair trade and Organic certification, provided by Ecocert.

The voting will close @ midnight on Friday, April 16^th.

To all the designers, we wish you luck!

Sometimes it is the simplest ideas that can change the world!

Your Green Idea (M&S, 2010)

As a part of M&S’s ambitious Plan A scheme they are looking for the ultimate green idea. As consumers we are always on the look out for better shopping experiences and if it is beneficial to our planet it is even better.

On their Plan A website M&S says: “Working with our customers over the last couple of years, our Oxfam Clothes Exchange has recycled 4 million garments, our bag-charging scheme has saved 600 million bags and we’ve reused or recycled 350 million coat hangers. But that’s only the beginning.”

Now M&S is looking for your green ideas.

So get your thinking cap on. Next time you’re in M&S think about a way our customers can shop for the better. You could use our ideas as inspiration or come up with your own. Think green, but think big. And here’s a thought – if your brainwave is picked as the ultimate green idea it could be seen by 21 million people every week at over 700 M&S stores. And, what’s more, you could win £100,000 for your favourite organisation to spend on their green initiative. It could be for a school, local community project, a small business or charity… it’s up to you.
You’re the brains.

This is a great opportunity, regardless of your background, to have a positive impact on the future of consumerism.

More details about the competition can be found here.

Source: M&S Plan A website.

Fashioning an Ethical Industry Bulletin

Events:

25^th February 2010: Fairwear Fashion Show at Bristol Cathedral featuring the premiere of the Emma Watson collection for People Tree as well as many more fair trade fashion brands. Booking essential to avoid disappointment

8^th and 9^th May 2010: The Slow Textiles Conference at the Stroud International Textiles Festival in Gloucestershire. This two day event aims to be a comprehensive introduction to the subject and to stimulate discussion in and around the various and overarching themes central to Slow. Speakers include Becky Earley, Emma Neuberg, Clara Vuletich and Philippa Brock. For further information and to book tickets.

14^th May: Create Sustain Ability: The Art Design Media Subject Centre’s (ADM-HEA) 2010 Annual Forum will focus on the subject of Education for Sustainable Development. The Forum aims to support art design and media subjects to develop curricula and pedagogy that will help students develop the skills and knowledge to live and work sustainably. For information on submitting an abstract to the conference or registering to attend.

Resources:

Book: Clean Clothes: a global movement to end sweatshops. The worldwide anti-sweatshop Clean Clothes Campaign marked its twentieth year in 2009. To coincide with the anniversary a new book on the movement was launched, Clean Clothes, by Dutch writer and photographer Liesbeth Sluiter.

Opportunities:

Competition: No Chains t-shirt design competition – a collaborative project undertaken by the two worker cooperatives La Alameda in Argentina and Dignity Returns in Thailand, seeks artists, designers, and activists to assist in creating images for a global sweat-free brand of t-shirts to be launched in April 2010. Deadline for applications is the 25^th February 2010. For more information and to get involved.

Competition: Student Essay Competition – ADM-HEA invites students on UK-based art, design or media higher education courses to enter this year’s essay competition and answer the question; Learning to live sustainably – how can your subject area contribute? The overall winning submission will receive £250.

Internships: Himalayan Highlands Summer Exhibitions Ltd, currently the largest importer of Fair Trade products into Scotland, are looking for a Knitwear Design intern and a Fashion Designer/project manager to be based in Kathmandu Nepal. The deadline for application is the 10^th February.

Competition: 2010 Green Gown Awards – this year’s awards are now open for submissions. The Green Gown Awards, now in their 6th year, recognise exceptional initiatives being taken by universities and colleges across the UK to become more sustainable.

News:

Improving factory conditions in Bangladesh: This month BBC Radio 4’s Just Business reported on the story of Windy Group, a supplier in Dhaka, which illustrates the power that fashion retailers have to bring about real change for workers.

With the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games just around the corner, the Play Fair Alliance are calling on sportswear brands, such as Nike, adidas, and Puma, to eliminate sweatshop abuses in their global supply chains. Find out what your favourite sportswear brand is, or is not doing, to ensure workers’ rights are respected.

For more on “Clearing the Hurdles,” click here.

Source: FEI

Create10// Call for Papers, Research + Student Design Competition

“The CREATE conference is all about creating innovative interactions, whether digital consumer products, interactive services or interaction paradigms.The event is an opportunity to share and discuss the design opportunities and dilemmas that are currently being addressed by practitioners and researchers from the commercial, public and academic sectors.

As well as presentation of academic research and student work, the event will provide real learning opportunities through hands-on workshops, case studies and demonstrations. We also welcome theoretical and research perspectives on the process of design innovation and approaches to creativity in HCI; how human factors can be integrated within a creative design process, methods that encourage creativity in interaction design, and the challenges of working in multi-disciplinary teams.” (Create 10)

Title: Create10
Location: Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Link out: Click here
Start Date: 2010-06-30
End Date: 2010-07-02

Student Design Competition

“This competition is aimed at students from a wide range of disciplines, for example: interaction design, product design, industrial design, communications design, architecture, fashion, multimedia, HCI, and related fields. Students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, can enter for up to a year after completing their studies.” (Create 10)

Design Brief:

“The conference theme of ‘transitions’ is the inspiration for this competition brief. We want to receive entries that scope, explore, define and prototype interactions that make transitions visible. These could be transitions that investigate the relationship between the analogue and digital realms, or systems that make visible transitions across time, place or information spaces.

For this competition you are asked to design an interactive artefact, interface, installation or experience. If selected, you will be invited to display your working design, or a tangible prototype, in a high profile public exhibition space, so you must consider how it may be displayed.”

Initial submissions

Submissions can be made individually or as group work (max 4 participants).

Should consist of:

1. An extended abstract (500 – 1,000 words) describing your design and any design principles or theories that have informed your approach to this project. You should include discussion of your research process, paying particular attention to your intended user group, whether this is a specific user or a wider group. If you are submitting as a group you should include a brief description of the roles of each member of the group.

2. Appropriate images of your work, (max 3 sheets of A4) clearly illustrating the design’s interactivity, and also your inspirations and/or research process. You may also include digital files on disk to support the hard copies, these should be cross-platform.

3. An explanation (1 page A4) of how the work would be displayed in a public exhibition.

4. A completed application form, this will be available to download soon from the conference website.

All individual items should be clearly marked with your name(s), institution, course, name of your academic supervisor or tutor, and year of study.

Final format

If your work is selected for display at the Create10 exhibition you will be expected to provide:

1. An A0 poster describing the development process from concept to finished project.

Plus at least one of the following:

2. A video of the project, showing it working in context.

3. A finished working (hi-fidelity prototype) that can actually be exhibited as working at the exhibition.

Conference attendance

If your work is selected for exhibition, you will be expected to register, at the student rate, to attend the Create10 conference at the end of June. In the case of group submission, at least one student per submission must register.

Important dates

Initial submission deadline: March 31st 2010

Successful exhibitors will be notified by the end of April 2010

Call for full papers, workshops, short presentations, demonstrations and exhibits:

THEME : : Transitions

Analogue <> Digital

Academic <>Practice

Place <> Time

Real <> Virtual

Create10 is seeking original, unpublished work under the following categories :

– High quality academic papers for peer review (max 6 pages)

– Practical workshops

– Short papers and/or case studies from practitioners within the field

– Short presentations and/or posters from students

– demonstrations and/or videos of installation-based exhibits or creative work in progress

IMPORTANT DATES

Submissions of :

1 page abstracts for papers : 15th March 2010

2 page proposals for all other submissions : 15th March 2010

Notification of acceptance : Early April 2010

Full paper submission : End of April 2010

For further information please contact Ingi Helgason : i.helgason@napier.ac.uk

Source: Puff and Flock and Create10