Kering announces winners for sustainable fashion awards

The winners were students Irene-Marie Seelig, Iciar Bravo Tomboly and Ana Pasalic for Stella McCartney; and students Agraj Jain and Elise Comrie for Brioni. The ten projects, which were selected as finalists, reflected the importance of sustainability and social consciousness to the young talent.

The 2016 projects explore sustainability in various ways, including product innovation to reduce fashion’s impact on the planet using new materials (for example mushroom skin, peace or spider silk), alternative assembling methods to increase clothes’ longevity, or the use of new technologies and digital tools to educate the general public and luxury fashion clients to the necessity of a more sustainable development in fashion (conscious consumption, clothes lifecycle, transparency).

The majority of the contestants designed their projects by rethinking the whole production cycle and value chain in fashion, going from material sourcing to product development and recycling. This echoes Kering’s own commitment to drive luxury fashion toward higher levels of economic, environmental, ethical and social performance.

All students, coming from different academic disciplines and personal backgrounds, showed a deep commitment to fashion and the environment, along with a strong interest to more sustainable practices in business in general. By taking part in the Sustainable Fashion awards, the students were looking to merge their passions, and illustrate the economic relevance of a more sustainable fashion industry, said Kering in a statement.

Luxury brands Gucci and Stella McCartney are slated to host next year’s contest. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India