International student design

The Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition celebrates the beauty, sustainability and versatility of leather, while recognising the innovation and craftsmanship that the new generation has to offer.

The competition engages with young and exciting designers to directly highlight the history, application and sustainable credentials of leather as a rich and versatile material.

In doing so we look to recognize and reward creativity, craftwork and innovation in fashion & design while also creating new exciting ambassadors who can champion leather for the future.

Can your creativity take you on the trip of a lifetime? Revealed: The stunning city hosting this year’s RLSD International Student Design final event

The buzz around this year’s Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition is growing by the day. We’ve already been inspired by the incredible entries coming in from students and recent graduates around the world. But the competition is still open, and you still have chance to make your mark. We’re delighted to announce…

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Nguyẽn Lan Anh, International People’s Choice Winner

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 Morandini, International Accessories Category Winner

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

Islam Nashef. International Apparel Category Winner

Islam’s collection, Shields, took the apparel title. The designs range from structured, tailored silhouettes that emphasise the body’s shape to looser, more fluid forms that incorporate supportive

Jamie Unlu O’Grady. International Overall Winner and International Footwear Category Winner

Jamie took the overall title with a collection of shoes that that was both revolutionary and highly marketable. He said: “SubTraction reimagines footwear as a modular system - personal, purposeful and circular. Bold in its rejection of convention, the

Winner’s ambition to take ground-breaking modular design to market

Taipei, Taiwan [28 October 2025] - At an awards ceremony held today at Taiwan’s Taipei 101 for the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) 2025 International Student Design Competition, judges crowned Jamie Unlu O’Grady, from the UK’s De Montfort

Real Leather. Stay Different. 2025 International Competition Category Winners Announced!

Real Leather. Stay Different. 2025 International Competition Category Winners Announced! After a judging process made gruelling by the amazingly high standard of entries, the results are now in. Find out a bit more about our four category winners and their

Announcing the 2025 Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition category winners!

Announcing the 2025 Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition category winners! After a judging process made gruelling by the amazingly high standard of entries, the results are now in. The competition featured three

2025 Real Leather. Stay Different. International Shortlisting Unveiled

The Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) International Student Design Competition has unveiled its shortlist, With 1,483 projects submitted from around the world, this year's competition is our biggest yet.

2025 International Design Competition Judging Panel

The Real Leather. Stay Different. 2025 International Student Design Competition brings together a diverse panel of leading voices in fashion, education, media and styling. For its fifth edition, the judging panel will decide on the overall winner in Taipei

COULD YOUR DESIGN LAND YOU AN ALL-EXPENSES-PAID TRIP TO TAIPEI?

Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD), the global campaign driving sustainable innovation in fashion, has just announced something huge: For the first time ever, the RLSD International Student Design Competition final is hitting Taipei - Asia’s buzzing

Win a trip to Taipei – let your designs take you there!

The buzz around this year’s Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition is building. We've already been blown away by the amazing entries we’ve received so far but there's still time to enter AND get your design in front of

RLSD: Where Are They Now? – Tamar Elbaz

We first met Tamar Elbaz in Milan in 2023, just before she presented her design, WHIM, to our panel of judges. As the Apparel Category winner of the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition, she went on to claim the joint Overall

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