Yahoo Finance Hugo Boss, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana Join as Judges for ‘Real Leather. Stay Different’
Sustainability competitions continue to catapult young talent — and material preferences — forward.
With the “Real Leather. Stay Different” International Student Design Competition, leather fashion is returning in full force. Announced Thursday, the Institute of Digital Fashion (IoDF), alongside advocacy organization “Real Leather. Stay Different” and Arts Thread will put on this year’s leather-focused design competition. It is funded by the Leather and Hide Council of America as a means to encourage the next generation of designers to promote slow style and adopt natural materials.
More from WWD
Judges including Hugo Boss’ managing director Christopher Körber, IoDF’s cofounders Leanne Elliott-Young and CattyTay and celebrity stylist Mike Adle return as judges. Paola Arosio, head of new brands and sustainability projects at Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, and last year’s competition winner Gal Benjamin, will also be part of the programming.
Star power in the form of judging panels and brand advisers has become a recurring theme in fashion. Given the race to scale up next-gen materials, nonprofit the Materials Innovation Institute has recently formed its own “Brand Partnerships Advisory Council,” convening executives from Coach, Kate Spade, Gucci, Moose Knuckles, Aera New York and more.
A first-time judge for Real Leather. Stay Different, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana’s Paola Arosio said this competition helps promote responsible sourcing, adding: “Together, we can steer the industry towards a more sustainable future.”
Last year, next-gen material makers — which includes everything from mycelium to lab-grown leather — saw $457 million in investment. Many innovations contend with the growing use of fossil-fuel based synthetics.
Stephen Sothmann, president of the Leather and Hide Council of America, underscored the urgency. “The time for talk has passed. We need to take action now to challenge the damage wrought by the fast-fashion industry. We need to set out an alternative future that makes use of natural materials, that challenge fast fashion and that cuts the waste going to landfill.”
Entirely digital, the competition is open to students in higher education or those who have graduated in the past year. Designs must be made with at least 50 percent “natural, sustainable and responsibly produced” leather, per the judges, and they must be entered into one of three categories, footwear, apparel or accessories. Designs are assessed on their fashion, sustainability and durability credentials with enduring, timeless styles chosen as priority. Students can enter until June 30 at the competition’s website. The 2023 global final will take place in Milan this October, with regional competitions also taking place in China and the U.K., among others.
Shortlisted finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Milan to present their design concepts to the judges during the live showcase final in October. As part of the reward, finalists’ designs will be professionally made for presentation to the judges.
Best of WWD
