Student Design Competition

PHILIPPINES

2023 COMPETITION NOW OPEN

We are delighted for the first year to host the Philippines Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition 2023, a search for the best of Philippines’ new designers and for those who want to promote slow style and a more sustainable future for fashion.

2023 Registration

According to Greenpeace, synthetics – made using petrochemicals from the oil industry – now make up 60% of our clothing. These clothes not only take hundreds of years to biodegrade but are often cheap and poorly made. The result — nearly one billion items of clothing, each typically worn just five times — are thrown away every year.

In the meantime, leather, a natural by-product of the dairy and meat industries and our growing demand for food, can be used to make items that last a lifetime and, when disposed of, biodegrade quickly. Leather is a perfect solution to one of fashion’s biggest problems, but each year almost half of the world’s cattle hides are just thrown away.

To encourage thinking about our planet’s future and to combat this waste, our judges are challenging you to create an original, innovative, and visually stunning design, in one of three categories of apparel, accessories or footwear made from real cattle leather. They would also like to see how entrants approach creating garments that will not only last, but be loved, for a lifetime.

THE BRIEF & DELIVERABLES

You are asked to use leather as the inspiration for a single item, either clothing, shoes, or accessories. Entries must be at least 50% cattle hide leather and any other materials used must be Philippine natural materials ( i.e. local or indigenous) where possible. We do not accept the use of fur or exotic skins. Plastics must only be used where no natural alternatives are available.

We would like your piece to capture one or more of the facets of leather, from beauty and versatility to strength and durability.

Entries should include the following elements:

1. A brief summary of your project provided in English
2. Storyboards and design inspiration
3. Sketches, flats, technical specifications, and final design (the item does not need to be physically made at this stage)
4. A short two-minute video to introduce you and your design. This is optional but encouraged, as it would make a great addition to your entry.

Please give consideration to ease of recycling, reuse and disposal at the end of the product’s life, and also think about the practicalities of commercial production, as we are looking for designers who will start new brands, fashion movements or style trends.

A shortlist of the best entries will be presented to the judges, and the finalists will be asked to create their designs for the final judging element. The materials will be provided by Tannery Association of the Philippines.

THE DEADLINE

The competition opens March 15, 2023, and closes on July 14, 2023. Any entries submitted after that date will not be accepted.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE COMPETITION AND VIEW THE T&CS

Designs that celebrate the beauty, versatility & sustainability of leather and champion slow style.

Designs must be made of at least 50% leather from cow hide.

Any other materials used must be natural materials from the Philippine (i.e. local or indigenous) where possible.

No fur or exotic skins. Our mission is to cut waste and utilise materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill.

Plastics must only be used where no natural alternatives are available.

2023 COMPETITION

NOW OPEN

Click here to register on the competition platform.

Prizes

Each of the three category winners will receive a trophy, Cash Prize, certificate and Coffee Table Book covering the competition and including their entry. The Overall Winner, chosen from the three category winners by a panel of judges, will have their entry professionally made and it will form part of a capsule collection showcasing the best international talent and unveiled at an event hosted in Europe in October 2023.