Vf Corporation kickstarts sustainable design collaboration with 2023 winner of Redress Design Award

The winner, Nils Hauser from Germany, will get the chance to work out of VF’s Tokyo Design Collective (TDC), a design hub located in the heart of Japan’s Harajuku district. He will collaborate with the Timberland® design team on the brand’s Spring 2025 apparel collection. The TDC serves as a global incubator for talent and inspiration, offering Nils the unique opportunity to connect, network, and co-create with designers and artists from VF’s range of global brands. 

Nils’ collection, titled ‘Ex Voto’, features a range of multifunctional garments and uses uniquely upcycled materials including sofa upholstery fabric and nylon from an old family tent. He addresses low-impact materials and processes by using water-based printing paint on his garments. 

This marks the fifth year that VF is joining hands with Redress to empower and foster the next generation of visionary, sustainability-focused fashion designers. Working with like-minded partners reflects VF’s belief that collective action and industry-wide collaboration across the value chain is needed to progress sustainable practices and make circular fashion a reality. The continued collaboration with Redress and emerging designers around circularity is part of VF’s multipronged approach to help drive circularity across the enterprise and beyond. Earlier this year,  VF joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Deloitte to establish the CTI Fashion Initiative, supported with a grant through the VF Foundation, which launched harmonized standards, metrics and best practices for circularity in the fashion industry. 

“VF remains committed to fostering a lower carbon future through implementing sustainable design principles, such as circular design, that minimize the industry’s environmental impact. Our collaboration with Redress gives us the unique opportunity to directly connect with emerging fashion designers who have a passion for sustainability, equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed so they can be catalysts for change in the industry and usher in a new era of sustainability in fashion,” said Jeannie Renne-Malone, Vice President of Global Sustainability at VF Corporation. 

Nine emerging designers were selected for the final stage of the Redress Design Award 2023, following a rigorous selection process that involved reviewing hundreds of applications from around the globe. Representing nine different regions around the world – including Australia, Hong Kong, India, and Sri Lanka – the designers had the opportunity to showcase their collections to a global audience at the Redress Design Award 2023 Grand Final Fashion Presentation on 7 September, where the winners were also announced.   

“The fashion industry needs to reinvent itself, from the drawing board to the board room. This transformation requires talent and strong leadership. Our collaboration with VF and Timberland®, through providing circular-practicing designers, spotlights the role of the designer and collaboration to bring about change. Armed with circular design techniques, decisions at the design stage can change fashion - and the world,” said Dr Christina Dean, Founder of Redress. 

“We are always amazed at the calibre of designs and breadth of talent demonstrated by all finalists of the Redress Design Award. Their passion for sustainable fashion and circular design is an inspiration and continues to motivate us as we work toward our vision of a greener future. This experience will allow Nils to deepen his understanding of sustainability across the apparel and textile value chain - from production up to marketing. We are excited to work with Nils at our design hub in Tokyo, where he will gain valuable insights while connecting with a dedicated community of designers,” said Puneet Khosla, Vice President and Managing Director, Timberland® Asia Pacific.        

“Collaborating with a world-leading brand like Timberland® and bringing my sustainable fashion ideas into the mainstream and large-scale fashion market whilst working with Timberland®’s expert team is a designer’s dream. Designers have solutions, and we know that by working together we can make change,” said First Prize winner Nils Hauser.

Nils and all semi-finalists and finalists from the 2023 cycle will also join the Redress Design Award Alumni Network, which offers continued opportunities for networking, education, and career development in sustainable fashion.

Watch the Redress Design Award 2023 Grand Final here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djoa11ML3Hc