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.
Josslyn’s design project, titled Ephemeral Eclosion, was a jacket with detachable and reusable components which allow for customisation and extended wear. It was inspired by the lifecycle of butterflies and impressed the judging panel with its combination of craftsmanship, innovation and commitment to sustainability.
Josslyn was the People’s Choice category winner. She narrowly beat category winners Mor Elfassy (Apparel) from Shenkar College of Engineering, Design & Art in Israel, Roscha Dinler (Footwear) from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany and Bingbing Bai (Accessories) from Kingston University in the UK.
The announcement of the winner was the centrepiece of a reception to celebrate the competition hosted by the US Ambassador to the UK, Jane. D Hartley. All the category winners’ designs will be showcased in a capsule collection that highlights the importance of natural materials and sustainable design in fashion.
The judging panel was composed of distinguished members of the fashion and design world including Christopher Koerber of HUGO BOSS, Anna Melegh from Christian Louboutin, Matteo Mastrotto, CEO of Rino Mastrotto, fashion education consultant Adrien Yakimov Roberts and celebrity stylist Mike Adler.
Christopher Koerber said: “The talent on show has been outstanding. Real Leather. Stay Different. plays an important role in showcasing and elevating young designers who are embracing leather as a material to create innovative designs, to global audience.”
Partners in the competition were Arts Thread, the world’s leading digital platform for emerging artists & designers (artsthread.com), and Rino Mastrotto Group which specialises in the production of high-quality leather, fabrics, and bespoke services for luxury sectors, including fashion, automotive and interior design (rinomastrotto.com/).
We all know about plastic pollution—the microplastics that are shed and the general waste caused. And we know how difficult it is to recycle a product that takes 500 years to biodegrade. But the harm plastics do starts’ even before they are made.
Cate Havstad-Casad, the founder and creator of Oregon-based regenerative accessories brand Range Revolution, is someone who knows that every aspect of the supply chain is crucial when it comes to ethical leather production.
For the first time, the Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition is launching in Vietnam. Following the success of the competitions in Asia in the China and Taiwan Regions, and internationally, we are on the hunt for the best new Vietnamese
New columnist Nicola Davies talks us through her five favourite leather buys.
