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/).
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