5 Designers Making Rubbish Fashion

Who says waste can’t be glamorous? From worn lifejackets to fly-tipped sofas, young designers from around the world are transforming leftovers into wearable items. Hong Kong’s Redress Award, held in September, showcased the latest cohort of creatives prioritizing sustainability and circularity as much as desirability.

The award—powered by the Asia-focused environmental NGO Redress, which seeks to accelerate the change to a circular fashion industry—has an alumni community of over 300 finalists and semi-finalists across more than 40 countries and regions; over half are based in Asia. This edition saw Tiger Chung crowned winner, joining the newest generation of Redress Award alumni using non-linear design solutions to challenge and modernize the sector’s traditional practices.

According to Dean, the founder of Redress, the world is “awash with fashion’s leftovers.” This is down to overproduction, overconsumption, and a disregard for a garment’s longevity. A report from The Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group predicts that textile waste will increase by about 60% between 2015 and 2030. As a result, landfills, incinerators, and closets are “rammed with textile waste, not to mention far flung developing countries, which are flooded with clothing cast-offs,” she explained. And however bad it is today, “fashion’s excess is only getting worse.”

Luxury analysts globally agree that sustainable design solutions are crucial for the future. Yet, these challenges are still being neglected—especially by countless mid to large-size brands who all too often put profits over sustainability. Until the ROI of circularity increases at the boardroom level, the solution perhaps lies with “emerging talents” suggested fashion consultant Felicia Garcia. “These designers, especially from the Redress Award, are telling a story of renewal through their designs by transforming unused materials into innovative and unique new garments, thereby giving the materials a new life and use,” she shared.

From dressing celebrities to the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, here are some of the Redress alumni pioneering change.

Switzerland’s Kevin Germanier transforming beading waste into exquisite runway pieces

Now the poster boy of upcycling, Kevin Germanier won the Redress Award in 2015. He founded his label three years later to offer elegant and sophisticated sustainable womenswear made of 100% ethical and upcycled materials: pearls, rocks, tulle, cotton, plastic thread, shoe base and so on. Germanier shows at Paris Fashion Week and the designer is the creation director of Prélude—an initiative founded by LVMH to address the creative reuse of mainly unsold products from the biggest fashion houses.

Chile’s Cris Miranda shaping Kimonos into contemporary garments

Miranda creates modern silhouettes from upcycled silks which earned them a finalist spot in the Redress Design Award in 2022 as well as the People’s Choice vote. They hold a BA in Fashion Design from Andrés Bello National University, Chile. Miranda draws inspiration from excess materials, notably kimono and obi silks, and states they are a sustainable fashion designer because they believe in “the needed change it represents.” A previous collection featured upcycled leather jackets that belonged to their mother—illustrating their very personal take on sustainable fashion.

Hong Kong’s Tiger Chung changing sofas into leather coats

Chung’s unique ability to address some of the more problematic and difficult waste textiles into desirable pieces is a much-needed approach in the industry. So much so, that they won over 2024’s judges the Redress Design Award. Chung holds a BA in Fashion Design from Nottingham Trent University and a Higher Diploma from the Hong Kong Design Institute. Under Chung’s keen eye, hotel towels, airport felt, car seat covers, and old sofas are all valuable commodities. They focus on a “people-centric approach to clothing,” believing that “people wear clothes, not the other way around.”

Tsang Fan Yu turning life jackets and sails into evening wear

One of the earliest entrants of the award in 2015/16, Tsang’s design USP celebrates imperfection and is based on Zen philosophy which respects the balance between nature and humanity. Tsang holds a Fashion Design degree from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a Social Sciences degree from the City University of Hong Kong. The Japanese designer from Hong Kong has received international recognition.

India’s Pavneet Kaur reconstructing turban waste into accessible garments

Kaur was the People’s Choice winner of the Redress Design Award 2023. Her work explores “innovative design solutions that challenge traditional practices” and “inspire a more conscious approach to consumption.” Kaur holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Fashion Design from Pearl Academy, India. She uses unwanted garments with a cultural past, such as discarded turbans from Sikh men or cut-and-sew waste to create classic, wearable silhouettes that are wardrobe classics.

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