German designer Jon Liesenfeld wins the Redress Design Award 2026 as global competition targets circular design gaps

German designer Jon Liesenfeld has been awarded first prize at the Redress Design Award 2026, held on 7 September at Centrestage in Hong Kong. Organised by Hong Kong-based environmental NGO Redress, the competition selected Liesenfeld from a final pool of eight international designers representing Hong Kong, mainland China, the United Kingdom, Austria, and Israel.

Addressing an industry context where an estimated 80 percent of a product's environmental impact is established during the initial design phase, the platform evaluates emerging designers on their integration of circularity, repairability, and waste mitigation strategies.

Finalists developed collections using circular design methodologies, sourcing materials from factory surplus, excess stock, and discarded garments. Beyond the runway, the competition incorporated commercial application through its 'Remake to Retail' project, in which finalists collaborated with garment manufacturer TAL Apparel to re-engineer post-consumer clothing waste into retail-ready pieces scheduled for distribution via retailer D-mop.

For his winning collection, Liesenfeld received an educational mentorship trip to inspect British fashion operations, including high-volume supplier Simple Approach and luxury house Roksanda. Hong Kong designer Jasmine Cheuk secured the runner-up position, gaining a mentorship with industry activist Orsola de Castro, while Tal Zohar of Israel received the public vote.

The results highlight an ongoing skills gap within academic institutions, where research indicates that mainstream fashion design curricula rarely embed sustainable principles into core instruction. With global textile waste standing at 120 million tonnes annually and global textile circularity at 0.3 percent, regulatory measures, such as the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and extended producer responsibility laws, are increasing pressure on brands to adapt operational models.

Programs like the Redress Design Award, which has delivered training to over 36,500 designers and educators, demonstrate how targeted industry initiatives are working to align tertiary design education with evolving regulatory and supply chain demands.