The Fabricant Global AI Design Competition for Fashion Students and Graduates
The Fabricant has launched Design Forward 26, a global open competition inviting fashion students and recent graduates to build a full AI-native collection — with free platform access provided to every entrant.
Submissions are open now through 29 April 2026.
The competition is built on a direct premise: access to professional tools should not determine who gets to show their work. Every eligible entrant who submits a motivation statement receives two weeks of free access to The Fabricant platform, a starter credit allocation, a group onboarding session, and a workflow guide tailored to fashion students.
Entrants have until 29 April to submit a collection of three AI-generated looks, three detail shots, and a 200-word designer statement — all created exclusively using The Fabricant platform.
Levelling the playing field
AI is no longer a future consideration for fashion. Major brands are already integrating AI into design, sampling, and product development workflows. The designers entering the industry today will be expected to work with these tools from day one, yet access to them remains unevenly distributed. Students at well-resourced institutions or in major fashion capitals have opportunities that others do not.
Design Forward 26 addresses that directly. By giving every validated entrant free platform access, the competition removes the financial barrier and puts the same tools in front of every participant, regardless of institution, geography, or background. The entry gate is a 200-word motivation statement. The only question asked is: what do you want to make?
The industry is moving quickly. Students who graduate without hands-on experience with AI design tools are at a disadvantage before they have had the chance to begin. Design Forward 26 is designed to close that gap.
"The fashion industry is already being reshaped by AI, and the designers who will define what that looks like are in school right now. They deserve access to the tools that will be central to their careers, while they are still developing their voice. Design Forward exists to make that possible."
— Kerry Murphy, Co-founder and CEO, The Fabricant
AI and the knowledge of craft
One of the most important aspects of Design Forward 26 is what it asks designers not to abandon. AI tools can generate a vast range of visual outcomes but fashion is, at its core, a physical practice. A garment has to be cut, constructed, and worn. The knowledge of how fabric behaves, how a seam holds, how a silhouette is built does not disappear because a tool can render it in seconds.
This is why producibility is the most weighted criterion in the competition. Jury members will assess whether every look submitted could realistically be made. Collections that are visually compelling but structurally impossible will be scored down. The intention behind this is clear: AI should free up the creative process, not replace the designer's understanding of what is achievable. The industry needs designers who can use these tools to explore ideas faster and more freely, while remaining grounded in the realities of making. The collections that will matter — in a competition and in a career — are the ones that hold together both as creative vision and as feasible product.
Who can enter
Design Forward 26 is open to current students enrolled in any fashion, design, textile, or creative technology programme, and to graduates who completed their degree no earlier than 2021. There are no portfolio requirements at the point of entry, only a short written description of the collection concept.
The jury
- Kerry Murphy — Co-founder and CEO, The Fabricant
- Carsten Meijer — SVP, Vice Media
- Alex Høgh Nielsen — Digital Media and Marketing, BESTSELLER TECH
- Katrin Ley — Managing Director, Fashion for Good
- Nicolas Griffioen — AI Consultant
- Gloria Maria — Red-Eye and NABA
- Brigitte Stepputtis — Vivienne Westwood
- Lennard Minderhoud — CEO, FashionUnited
Prizes
The winner receives six months of free platform access and a featured interview on Digital Weave, The Fabricant's videocast. All the top ten finalists each receive 150 platform credits.
Winners will be announced on 15 May 2026.
How to enter
Submissions are open at thefabricant.com/designforward26. The deadline is 29 April 2026.