The Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition returns for 2026 and the sixth chapter of our global search for bold, future-facing design talent.
This is your opportunity to design with real leather, challenge the fast fashion cycle and showcase your work on an international stage. Previous finalists have presented their work in London, Milan and Taipei, with each year opening new doors for the designers involved.
Have you got what it takes to stand out globally and shape the future of fashion?
Sign ups are open now. Head to rlsd.internationaldesigncomp.com to register and submit your entry.
This year’s winners have now been announced following an inspiring final event in Taipei – you can explore their designs and stories on our competition pages.
Planning to take part next year? Stay tuned for details of the 2026 competitions and start shaping your ideas now. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create next!
The Chinese Year of the Horse is here and brands across fashion and lifestyle are celebrating with limited releases, capsule collections and collectible pieces that honour strength, vitality, freedom and prosperity. Here’s our selection of the best launches
Where are they now? RLSD alumni making a mark in fashion The Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition has launched the careers of exceptional design talent from around the
This winter’s footwear trends have finally presented something of a plot twist, after years of the chunky boot dominating our soles. In fact, we’re seeing plenty of much slimmer silhouettes going into 2026, with skin-hugging, narrow-toed shapes leading
From the Great Plains in the North to the grazing fields of the South, US hides make premium leather that is coveted in across the world.
More than five million people work in the global leather industry delivering natural, organic, sustainable, recyclable – and incredibly durable – material for the seats in cars and on planes, bags on our shoulders, jackets on our backs and shoes on our feet. At its heart sits the Leather & Hide Council of America, the national voice of an industry recognised for the quality of its hides, and the integrity of its supply chain. Its work helps its members divert around 30 million hides from landfill every year, by creating beautiful leathers for supply to customers in a 450-billion-dollar global sector.
US hides are prized for their quality and also for their sustainability. Ongoing investment in supply chain optimisation and traceability has made them the first choice for sectors from automative and aviation to fashion and footwear. This is the story of the world’s leading leather-producing nation.
There’s a particular kind of alchemy that happens when tradition meets experimentation - when centuries-old craft techniques are reimagined through a contemporary lens, not to replace what came before, but to carry it forward. Craft-designer-artist Roee Ben
Thailand Apparel Category Winners, Phanteera wowed judges with design Europa’s Embrace, draws inspiration from Greek mythology - specifically the tale of Europa and the white bull.
Leather is timeless. It grows richer with age, carries stories in every crease, and quietly whispers quality. This Christmas, choose gifts that feel personal, that last and are luxurious without needing large logos. At RLSD we love gifts that balance style
Wu Jo-I, who attends Shin Chien University in Taipei, said her work begins with the perception of a scene. She then turns observed moments into geometric and structural forms. She won the Taiwan overall title for her accessory design, Pressure Lines Between
The Real Leather. Stay Different. Africa Talent Leather Design Showcase 2025 (Design Exhibition: 26–28 November 2025, Runway Showcase: 28 November 2025) will be held alongside the 18th Africa Leather Value Chain Forum.
Few garments are more enduring than the leather jacket. From 50’s greasers to Tumblr-era style icons, it’s been a uniform for musicians, bikers, and anyone looking to make a
Lan Anh said of her People’s Choice winning design HORN-TO-HOPE: “It unites the strength of the rhino with the resilience of the orchid to symbolise endurance through adversity. Rhinos, threatened by poaching, and orchids, thriving in harsh conditions,
Sara’s project, Ombrage, which took the accessories title, is a unisex collection of leather goods, footwear and jewellery inspired by the primal forces of nature – water, air, earth and
![📍 Taipei, Taiwan. Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition Award Ceremony [28 October 2025]
At our awards ceremony held in Taipei 101, judges crowned Jamie Unlu O’Grady from De Montfort University, UK, as Overall Winner 2025 🏆
O’Grady’s modular footwear design SubTraction captivated judges with its blend of innovation, sustainability and design integrity.
“My dream is to take it from concept to product - something that can live in the real world and actually change how people buy, wear and sustain their shoes.”
The judging panel - including Christopher Koerber (HUGO BOSS Ticino), Adrien Roberts (Fashion Education Consultant), Mike Alder (Celebrity Stylist), Yu Lee 李瑜 (Fashion Influencer) and Kora Hsieh (Harper’s BAZAAR Taiwan) - praised his commitment to true innovation and commercial potential.
🌍 Other International finalists & category winners included Sara Jacqueline Morandini, Italy (Accessories category), Lan Anh Nguyễn, Vietnam (People’s Choice Winner), Islam Nashef, Palestine (Apparel Category Winner) and Wu Jo I, Taiwan (Taiwan Overall Winner, Host Nation Representative), who explored themes from psychological protection to ecological resilience.
#RLSD2025 #RealLeatherStayDifferent #SustainableDesign #FashionInnovation #EmergingDesigners #Taipei101 #FutureOfFashion](https://s.chooserealleather.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/572132681_18113454592561571_6153008613524038971_nfull.webp)
