International
Following last year’s inaugural RLSD competition, which received more than 400 entries from students representing 117 universities around the world, we are delighted to be back in our global search for top design talent – and to support slow fashion and sustainability.
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 bi-product of the dairy and meat industry and our growing demand for food, makes 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 leather 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 leather. They would also like to see how entrants approach creating garments that will not only last, but be loved, for a lifetime.
