Redress Announces Finalists for the Global Top 10 Sustainable Fashion Designers for the Redress Design Competition 2025

The Redress Design Competition, a key program to promote sustainable fashion development, brings together global design forces to address the dual challenges of over-consumption of resources and environmental pollution in the fashion industry, and to explore the path of sustainable development through innovative design thinking and commercial solutions.　　

Hong Kong, May 19, 2025 – Redress, an Asia-focused environmental NGO, today announced the Top 10 finalists of the Redress Design Competition 2025 worldwide. Since its inception in 2007, the organization has been committed to reducing the negative environmental impact of ready-to-wear garments. As the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition, this year’s competition will culminate in a fashion show in September 2025, where the finalists will be announced.

　The Waste Crisis Grows – Designers Take on the Environmental Challenge

　　The fashion industry continues to produce a staggering amount of waste – between 100 and 150 billion new garments are produced globally each year [1], the vast majority of which ends up in landfills or incinerators. [2] In the face of this serious situation, it is imperative to raise awareness and practice of sustainable clothing design and consumption patterns among designers and consumers.

　　This pattern of overproduction and consumption has led to a sharp rise in the amount of textile waste. It is estimated that the fashion industry generates approximately 92 million tons of textile waste annually[3] and this figure is expected to increase by 60% between 2015 and 2030[4].

　　Redress is urgently calling on fashion designers and academics to “rise to the challenge” of addressing the environmental crisis facing the fashion industry by implementing recycled design and education programs at the conceptualization stage of apparel design and in educational institutions.

　　Top 10 finalists

　　Redress recognizes that recent research data suggests that a product’s environmental impact is already determined at the design stage by approximately 80%.[5] In light of this, it is important to note that the environmental impact of a product is already determined at the design stage. [With this in mind, designers and development teams can address the root of the problem at the source by making changes at the design decision stage.

　　The top ten designers of this year’s Redress Design Competition, selected from 57 entries from around the world, have redefined the future of sustainable fashion with groundbreaking recycling techniques and circular design concepts for discarded textiles. These innovative works not only demonstrate the design wisdom of “turning waste into treasure”, but will also become a key force to overturn the traditional linear model of “production-consumption-disposal” in the fashion industry.

Top 10 Finalists of Redress Design Competition 2025

The top ten designers are (from left to right, top to bottom): Casbeth Tshegofatso Marobane, South Africa; Lucie Albert, Germany; Carla Zhang, Mainland China; Mara San Pedro, Philippines; Hawon Park, South Korea; Nathan Moy, Hong Kong, China; Pan Heyun, Mainland China; Wen Hanzhang, Canada; Hugo Dumas, France; Nie Yixuan, USA. China; Wen Hanzhang, Canada; Hugo Dumas, France; Yi-Shan Nieh, USA.

The Top 10 finalists will send their sustainable fashion collections to Hong Kong for an image shoot arranged by Redress. All garments will be shipped securely through the global logistics network of DHL Express, Platinum Sponsor of the event. The innovative designs will be transported from around the world to Hong Kong using DHL GoGreen Plus – an exclusive service that effectively reduces the carbon footprint of international air transportation through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Dr. Christina Dean, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Redress, said:

“The environmental footprint of the fashion industry is like a countdown bomb. With the equivalent of an entire garbage truck’s worth of textiles being landfilled or incinerated every second, and the situation continuing to worsen, Redress acts as a key bridge by organizing an annual design competition that brings together designers, academics, and industry partners to transform the recycled fashion industry with innovative design.”

Redress Design Competition 2025 Partners – Creating a Sustainable Future for Fashion

Mr. Tsang Chiu Hok, Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries of the Hong Kong Cultural and Creative Industries Development Authority (CCIDA), said, “The Redress Design Competition is not only an annual event for the fashion industry, but also an important platform that brings together emerging designers from around the world to exchange ideas and promote in-depth dialogues between culture and business. Through collaboration, we can reshape the sustainable value chain of the fashion industry, and CCIDA is honored to support this event and contribute to the further strengthening of Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s hub of fashion innovation.”

This year, Redress has formed a platinum partnership with DHL, a global leader in sustainable logistics, to promote the fashion industry’s move towards a circular economy, and is sponsoring the awards of the Redress Design Competition. The grand prize winner of the Redress Design Competition will receive the following: an international showcase of the winning collection at Greenext Shanghai, professional mentoring on limited edition upcycled retail pieces by internationally renowned designer Flora Cheong-Leen, and a grant of HK$50,000 (approximately $6,000) from Redress in partnership with the Tien Ai Art Foundation. 000 (approximately US$6,400) from Redress and the Tien Ai Art Foundation (note: the Tien Ai Art Foundation is a longstanding sponsor of art education scholarships).

Mr. Andy Chiang, Regional Managing Director, Hong Kong and Macau, DHL Express, said, “We strongly believe that the logistics industry can be a catalyst for positive change, creating substantial impact through initiatives such as strengthening sustainable supply chains and supporting environmentally friendly businesses. Supporting the Redress Design Competition is an important exercise in helping emerging designers from around the world realize their creative visions while influencing their local markets.”

The finalists are actively preparing for the Grand Final Fashion Show to be held in September 2025, and will participate in an intensive 10-day training camp with workshops and design challenges. Highlights include an in-depth visit to the production site of award-winning TAL Apparel, which produces 55 million garments annually. During the final round, the designers will stay at the Dash Living Apartments.

Fifteen Years of Impact: Witness fifteen years of significant progress on the road to change in our latest film.

　　[1] More than 10 billion according to McKinsey & the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2015. The World Economic Forum & ShareCloth state that 150 billion garments are produced in a year, 2016.

　　[2]Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group (2017), Pulse of the Fashion Industry

　　[3]Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group (2017), Pulse of the Fashion Industry

　　[4]Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group (2017), Pulse of the Fashion Industry

　　[5]EU Science Hub (2018), Sustainable Product Policy

Media inquiries:

　　Kristy Cheung | kristy@sinclaircomms.com| (852) 6096 3655

　　Lucy Lu | lucy@sinclaircomms.com| (852) 5494 9891

　　Notes to Editors

　　About Redress Design Award 2025: redressdesignaward.com

　　- Participants: The Redress Design Award 2025 is open to emerging designers and students worldwide with less than four years of professional experience.

Redress Design Award

The Redress Design Award (redressdesignaward.com) is the world’s leading sustainable fashion design competition that aims to educate and empower emerging fashion designers to teach recycled design techniques to minimize fashion’s negative impact on the environment. Organized by Redress, a Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO, the competition has been held annually since 2011, partnering with global academic institutions, attracting applications from designers from more than 50 countries and territories, with the winners receiving the opportunity to collaborate with the world’s leading fashion companies to accelerate the shift to a circular fashion industry.

Redress

Redress (www.redress.com.hk) is a Hong Kong-based environmental NGO dedicated to accelerating the transition to a circular fashion industry by educating and empowering designers and consumers to reduce the negative environmental impact of clothing.

Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) (www.ccidahk.gov.hk), formerly known as Create Hong Kong, was set up in June 2024 as a one-stop service and support office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries, with the aim of creating a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of industrialization of the arts, cultural and creative industries. The current strategy focuses on nurturing talents and promoting the development of start-ups, exploring markets, fostering more cross-sectoral and cross-cultural collaboration, promoting the industrialization of the arts, culture and creative industries, promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, with a view to realizing Hong Kong’s position as a center for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the world as enshrined in the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan of the People’s Republic of China.

DHL

DHL is a global leader in the logistics industry. DHL’s divisions are dedicated to providing unparalleled logistics services, including domestic and international parcel delivery services, e-commerce distribution solutions, international courier services, air, land and sea transportation and industry supply chain management. With over 400,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably and facilitates the ongoing flow of global trade. As the “World’s Leading Logistics Company”, DHL provides specialized solutions for growth markets and industries such as technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing and energy, automotive and retail.

DHL is part of the DHL Group, which by 2024 will have revenues of more than €84.2 billion. The Group is committed to contributing globally by practicing a sustainable business strategy and fulfilling its social and environmental commitments. The DHL Group is committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050.

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is solely responsible for funding this project and is not otherwise involved. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/event (or by members of the project team) do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Unit, the CreateSmart Initiative (CSI) Secretariat or the CSI Vetting Committee.