VF Corp. and Redress, the Hong Kong-based enviornmental NGO, has named German designer Nils Hauser as the winner of the 13th edition of Redress Design Award, the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition.
Hauser’s design stood out from a group of nine finalists with a collection that expertly blends unconventional upcycled materials, such as sofa upholstery fabric and nylon sourced from old family tents. Titled “Ex Voto,” Hauser’s narrative evolved around citizens of a fictional lost city, akin to that of the hit TV series “The Last of Us.”
Hauser’s collection also addresses low-impact materials and processes by using water-based printing paint on his garments, according to Redress.
”I am amazed at how his design enables sustainable fashion to be appreciated by consumer in their daily use,” said Krystyna Dzan, vice president of product at Timberland Asia Pacific. “The simplicity of his design will make possible a broader consumer base, which definitely helps the industry move toward our vision of a greener future.”
“We often talk about the role of the designers in making the right decisions at the drawing board, with the product developers and merchandisers. This process needs teamwork. And whilst Nils showed off his brilliant design flair and rigorous academic knowhow, he also has a huge collaborative spirit. Circular design needs collaboration, not competition,” said Christina Dean, founder of Redress.
As the winner of this year’s First Prize, Hauser will get a chance to work on Timberland’s spring 2025 collection, with additional support from VF’s Tokyo Design Collective, a design hub launched last February.
“Collaborating with a world-leading brand like Timberland and bringing my sustainable fashion ideas into the mainstream and large-scale fashion market whilst working with Timberland’s expert team is a designer’s dream,” Hauser said. “Designers have solutions, and we know that by working together we can make change.”
This year’s competition attracted hundreds of applications from 46 countries and regions.
The nine finalists will join the Redress Design Award Alumni Network, a growing community of more than 300 members from previous awards.
“Fashion needs to reinvent itself to become more circular. Floods and fires are continuing, our Redress Design Award Finalists are fashion’s firefighters. Making sustainability and circularity an industry norm feels like a far off dream, but it’s worth fighting for if we want to reduce fashion’s negative environmental impacts,” Dean added.
