Taiwan Region Student Design Competition 2023
Registration
We are delighted for the fourth year to host the Taiwan Region Real Leather. Stay Different. Student Design Competition 2023, a search for the best of Taiwan’s new designers and for those who want to promote slow style and a more sustainable future for fashion.
Are you concerned about fast throwaway fashion and unsustainable materials? According to Greenpeace, synthetics – made using petrochemicals from the oil industry – now make up 60% of our clothing. These clothes not only take hundreds of years to biodegrade but are often cheap and poorly made. The result — nearly one billion items of clothing, each typically worn just five times — are thrown away every year.
In the meantime, leather, a natural by-product of the dairy and meat industries, can be used to make items that last a lifetime and, when disposed of, biodegrade quickly. Leather is a perfect solution to one of fashion’s biggest problems, but each year almost half of the world’s cattle hides are just thrown away.
To encourage thinking about our planet’s future and to combat this waste, our judges are challenging you to create an original, innovative, and visually stunning design, in one of three categories of apparel, accessories or footwear made from real cattle leather. They would also like to see how entrants approach creating garments that will not only last, but be loved, for a lifetime.
The competition opens January 3 2023, and closes on April 17 2023. Any entries submitted after that date will not be accepted.
Pre-registration to the competition platform is available now via the form below. Once registered, students will be contacted in February 2023 to upload their entries.
To register, visit rlsd.internationaldesigncomp.com
THE BRIEF & DELIVERABLES
You are asked to use leather as the inspiration for a single item, either clothing, shoes, or accessories. Entries must be at least 50% cattle hide leather and any other materials used must be natural or organic materials where possible. We do not accept the use of fur or exotic skins. Plastics must only be used where no natural alternatives are available. We would like your piece to capture one or more of the facets of leather, from beauty and versatility to strength and durability.
Entries should include the following elements:
- A brief summary of your project
- Storyboards and design inspiration
- Sketches, flats, technical specifications, and final design (the item does not need to be physically made at this stage)
- A short two-minute video to introduce you and your design. This is optional but encouraged, as it would make a great addition to your entry.
Please give consideration to ease of recycling, reuse and disposal at the end of the product’s life, and also think about the practicalities of commercial production, as we are looking for designers who will start new brands, fashion movements or style trends.
A shortlist of the best entries will be presented to the judges, and the finalists will be asked to create their designs for the final judging element. The materials will be provided by Taiwan Regional Association of Tanneries and Taiwan International Leather Association.
THE PRIZE
Each of the three category winners will receive a trophy, a cash prize [amount to be determined by the regional organizers], certificate and Coffee Table Book covering the competition and including their entry. The Overall Winner, chosen from the three category winners by a panel of judges, will have their entry professionally made and it will form part of a capsule collection showcasing the best international talent and unveiled at an event hosted in Europe in October 2023.
Please note: the regional organizer reserves all rights to change and modify the Prize, date of Awards ceremony, location of the event, and deadline for submissions.
