The Real Leather. Stay Different. UK Student Design Competition, in partnership with ArtsThread, has confirmed its category and People’s Choice winners for this year, as well as the Overall Winner!
With almost 200 entries from 16 academic institutions across the UK, this year’s competition has seen an incredible display of talent. After much deliberation from the judges, the category winners and Overall winner were decided.
The four category winners are:
The category winners were chosen over a month long selection process, involving Real Leather. Stay Different. representatives and, ultimately, a judging panel of industry representatives who accessed entries anonymously, with their scores being aggregated to establish each category winner. The UK People’s Choice winner, Abigail Hobbs, was selected via an online public vote which ran between 28th July – 25th August.
The Overall Winner, chosen from the category winners, is:
Anna is also the Footwear Category Winner for our International Competition, and will be joining the other International Finalists in September for a chance to win the International Competition as well.
Winner: Overall and Footwear Category
Name: Anna Melegh, London College of Fashion, UAL, UK
Course: Footwear MA, 2022
Instagram: @annamelegh
Anna Melegh is a footwear and accessories designer turning everyday objects inside out by using the methods of surrealism. Anna comes from an artistic family and having nearly 10 years of art and shoe-focused education. All started at the Secondary School of Visual Arts in Budapest learning to be a leather goods maker. She finished the BA Footwear and Accessories course in Northampton and completed the MA Footwear at London College of Fashion in 2022.
“I think we should dare to think more outside of the box, in terms of designs and ideas as well as materials. I believe fashion has the power to raise awareness of the various issues, make the viewer stop and think – just like any other art.”
Category Winner : Accessories
Name: Hanzhi Tang, Royal College of Art
Course: Fashion MA
Instagram: @hazel_tang
During her university years, Hanzhi majored in industrial design but was very interested in fashion, which is why she eventually chose to study fashion at postgraduate level. During her time at university, she was interested in studying materials and was interested in the use of industrial related techniques in fashion. During her postgraduate studies, she explored ways to combine new materials with fashionable, traditional materials. She hopes to continue to use natural materials in combination with new industrial techniques to better allow users to connect with their surroundings.
Category Winner: Apparel
Name: Oriol Clavell Sansalvador, London College of Fashion, UAL, UK
Course: BA in Fashion Design Technology: Menswear
Instagram: @oriolclavell_
Oriol Clavell is a catalan designer based in London. His work focuses on self-identity discovery – exploring cultural heritage as well as notions of gender, sexuality and identity. After starting his studies in architecture at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, he decided to move to London to pursue his dream career in fashion. While studying a BA in Fashion Design Technology: Menswear at London College of Fashion, Clavell focused on creating garments that combine craftmanship techniques with new technologies such as 3D printing.
Category Winner: People’s Choice
Name: Abigail Hobbs, Loughborough University, UK
Course: Multimedia Textiles Design & Innovation, 2022
Instagram: @abbey_hobbs.art
Abigail Hobbs has recently graduated from Loughborough University, specialising in Multimedia Textiles Design & Innovation. With a keen eye for colour and detail, Hobbs finds experimenting with materials within fashion design to be an extremely exciting and rewarding process. She particularly enjoys the conceptual research process behind developing a collection, correlating and sourcing imagery through photography, exploring exhibitions and discovering new upcoming designers.
Stay tuned for more updates on the winners and a look into their inspirations for each design!
According to clothes waste charity TRAID, the average garment is worn just 10 times before it is discarded. The implications of this for the environment are devastating – that’s why we champion leather as the long-lasting choice.
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