Design Competition

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

Is the future of leather hidden in red earth?

Fashion is hungry for sustainability. It celebrates circular design, experiments with new biomaterials and promotes heritage craft as a marketing tool. Yet one of the most circular, heritage-rich tanning traditions, still alive in parts of southern Africa,

From bark to clay to pods, vegetable tanning offers a model of circularity the industry has yet to embrace.

In a Botswana village, a pot of crushed bark and roots simmers over an open fire. A cowhide, scraped clean, is lowered into the dark liquid. Over the next few days, it will absorb the plant’s chemistry, transforming into leather. This scene, repeated for

Real Leather. Stay Different. Thailand 2025 Winners Announced

The Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) Thailand 2025 final competition took place in style on August 25, 2025, at Victor Club, Samyan Mitrtown, in an atmosphere filled with creativity, inspiration, and innovation from Thailand’s rising design talents.

Farida Eid Crowned RLSD Africa’s Most Commendable Designer, 2025

Farida Eid from Egypt is the RLSD Africa Talent Leather Design Showcase 2025 Most Commendable Designer. Her winning entry, the Zahw –Serpent Sandal, captivated judges with its striking symbolism, technical precision, and deep cultural resonance, setting a

2025 Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition China Mainland Concludes: Painting a Slow Fashion Future with Sustainable Leather!

The award ceremony for the China Mainland region of the 2025 Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition recently concluded successfully in Shanghai. The global campaign, organized by the Leather and Hide Council of America (L&HCA), saw its China

2025 RLSD Taiwan Winners Announced: Emerging Talents Reimagine Leather for a Sustainable Future

Taipei, August 30, 2025 – The 2025 Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition – Taiwan concluded today with a vibrant Awards Ceremony at Hana Space, Taipei, celebrating creativity, craftsmanship and sustainable design thinking. 

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

Real Leather. Stay Different. Vietnam celebrates a new generation of talent

The inaugural Real Leather. Stay Different. Vietnam awards ceremony wrapped on July 9 at the stunning Mai House Saigon hotel. And it was a night to remember. More than an awards show it was the revelation of the next generation of designers, propelling them