India’s design culture has always been shaped by the craftsmanship of hands that understand material, form and function. Valued for its strength, adaptability and longevity and used to make everything from footwear and accessories to everyday objects, leather has long been part of India’s making traditions. It is a material that responds to the maker and evolves with the wearer, carrying stories of use, skill and time.
Today, Indian design students are reinterpreting this legacy through a contemporary lens. With growing interest in sustainable fashion, circular design and responsible material choices, young designers across India are exploring how traditional craftsmanship can inform modern design thinking.
The RLSD International Student Design Competition offers Indian fashion, accessories and design students an opportunity to take this thinking to a global stage.
The competition celebrates creativity rooted in material understanding, encouraging students to move beyond short-lived trends and focus on durability, craftsmanship and thoughtful design.
For Indian students looking to participate in an international design competition, gain global exposure and be part of a worldwide design community, RLSD 2026 is a chance to showcase ideas shaped by both heritage and innovation.
Design with intention. Create with care. Share your work with the world.
Josslyn Shi from California College of Art has been crowned Overall Winner of the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition at a glittering final event held at the U.S. Embassy in London.
Meet one of our 45 shortlisted individuals in the running to become the next leader in leather fashion.
Combining the edgy and the ethereal isn’t exactly untrodden ground when it comes to fashion. After all, it’s exactly those juxtapositions that provide tension and contrast - just look at 2023’s viral ‘wrong shoe theory’ or the simple act of pairing
The RLSD China Mainland team recently visited Sichuan University, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts and Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, meeting with hundreds of students and faculty members in a dynamic exchange of ideas between the Real Leather. Stay Different.
Admittedly, leather is a fabric that is most associated with Autumn/Winter – but as a new fashion season begins, we’d be remiss not to acknowledge its versatility. As ever, an army of designers have done just that on the Spring/Summer ‘25 catwalks –
