Australian fashion designer Molly Ryan has made it to the finals in the global circular fashion competition, Redress Design Award 2023, where she joins nine other international designers.
Ryan will soon compete head-to-head with the other finalists in an expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong for the Grand Final Fashion Show in September.
There, the finalists will defend their collections in front of an international panel of judges before showcasing them on the Grand Final Fashion Show runway, where the winners will be announced.
Each finalist will receive a digital book on sustainable fashion from Bloomsbury Publishing, and the winner will receive a lock-stitch machine and an over-lock sewing machine from JUKI, a design collaboration opportunity with American fashion company Timberland, and a HK$50,000 (AUD$9597.25) development fund.
The finalists will also gain in-depth knowledge of sustainable industry practices from experts through masterclasses and complete design challenges.
“Now more than ever, fashion brands are going to need designers who understand circularity and how the whole supply chain fits together,” Redress founder and Board Chair Christina Dean said.
“Redress’ headquarters being in Hong Kong, and the opportunities it offers to Redress Design Award Alumni in reaching neighbouring Asian countries and regions, are critical advantages in our efforts to push the needle toward a more circular fashion industry.”
The 10 finalists will now send their completed collections — including four physical looks and one digital outfit — to Redress for a professional photoshoot with Vogue Hong Kong.
Ryan’s collection for the competition is called ‘Cloth: Narratives’ and features garment pieces cut from repurposed bed sheets, dyed with organic kitchen waste and screen printed with natural handmade inks.
The Australian designer is also the co-founder of Fibre Economy - a social enterprise that aims to reduce textile waste.
The complete list of finalists for the Redress Design Award 2023 are:
- Aya Letzter, Israel
- Frances Brunner, USA
- Jasmine Leung, Hong Kong
- Mandy Fong Sze Man, Hong Kong
- Molly Ryan, Australia
- Nils Hauser, Germany
- Pavneet Kaur, India
- Ruwanthi Gajadeera, Sri Lanka
- Kim Yanghun, France
- Wen Hanzhang, Canada