British finalist among the last contestants for the Redress Design Award 2018

London - British designer Lynsey Gibson is among the 11 finalists for the Redress Design Award 2018, the world’s largest sustainable fashion competition.

The finalists for this year’s award represent 11 different regions, including Hong Kong, India, and UK, and aim to embody the growing movement towards a circular fashion system. The annual competition, organised by environmental NGO Redress, is set to see the finalists present their five-piece collections created from textile waste to an international audience this September in Hong Kong. The winners will be announced at the Grand Final on 6 September in front of a 1000-strong audience and via global live stream.

Gibson holds a BA in Fashion Knitwear from the University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins. She works as a freelance knitwear designer and drew inspiration from a number of sources, including the cultural differences between Europe and China for her Redress Design Award submission. Combining labour heavy textiles techniques with seamless knitwear innovation to manipulate discarded waste, she up-cycled leftovers and sample yarns with secondhand textiles and end-of-roll waste for her collection.

Re-imagine what sustainability looks like

“In today's current climate, I believe there should only be the option of being a sustainable designer,” said Gibson in a statement. “I can no longer work in an industry that puts profit over the environment or consumption over humanitarian concern. Through my work I want to elevate the idea of sustainable design and to re-imagine what sustainability can look like through the manipulation of waste.”

Other finalists stem from Australia, Spain,India, Japan, France, Israel, Taiwan, The Philippines and Denmark. This year saw a record number of applications from 56 regions around the world. “For this Redress Design Award cycle, we scoured the world looking for the best-emerging designers to tackle fashion’s underbelly - waste,” said Redress Founder & Board Chair, Dr. Christina Dean.

“With an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste generated annually - a truly staggering figure that is projected to increase to 148 million tons annually by 20301 – there is not a moment to lose as we passionately cultivate more fashion changemakers. Our search was rewarded; the designers are demonstrating the creative and commercial potential of the wide breadth of untapped textile waste streams from the fashion industry and beyond.”

The 11 emerging designers represent a new generation of socially and environmentally conscious creatives who are keen to make a difference in the fashion industry with their designs and choices. The competition offers the winners impressive prizes, an all-expenses-paid educational trip to Hong Kong and the first place winner will join new up-cycled fashion brand, The R Collective, and design a collection for retail created using textile waste. The second place winner will receive a professional development mentorship with Orsola de Castro (Fashion Designer, Co-founder of Estethica and Co-founder of Fashion Revolution), to help their career.

Photos: Redress Design Award 2018