Brands to watch : An industry perspective
As the head Curator of the Creative Community of 35,000 designers at Not Just a Label, Carly Vidal Wallace oversees up to 400 new collections per week submitted by global fashion designers from 150 different countries. For the past eleven years Not Just a Label has been at the forefront of supporting talented emerging designers, working to empower their voices and facilitate industry exposure while simultaneously providing an indispensable tool for the industry.
PHOTO CREDIT AMA AWE
Author | Carly Vidal Wallace, Creative Community Curator at Not Just A Label
While statistics show that consumers have been slow to adopt the habit of specifically seeking and purchasing sustainable clothing, it’s encouraging to see a dramatic increase in the number of new designers on Not Just A Label (NJAL) platform who are embedding sustainability into their business practices and brand ethos. As Redress Design Award Alumnus and NJAL designer, Candle Ray states, “For me, sustainability is about how we should live our daily lives – whether it be in designing or just doing our daily routines – without compromising the health of our environment.”
PHOTO CREDIT Angus Tsui
At NJAL, this increase in sustainability - value - driven brands has enabled us to introduce new categories, such as Vegan, Up-cycled and Zero-waste, to our already extensive sustainable search criteria. We’re happy to report that we’ve also seen a steady increase in the use of these specific sustainable criteria – as much as 38 per cent over the past two years.
Recognising the urgent need to transform our industry for the better, NJAL is committed to supporting designers who are working to make positive change. The Redress Design Award is a natural partner, as it provides an important network as well as toolkits for these emerging talents. As alumnus and NJAL designer Pat Guzik notes, “Fashion is about relationships, and Redress have built a huge community around sustainability. We work together, we can share our experience, and we support each other.”
It can be challenging for young designers to find the right information and mentors on their path to sustainability. We believe that Redress provides an invaluable service through its competition, network and various resources – such as its LEARN platform, videos and guides – that are paving a way for designers to make a larger global impact.
We at NJAL look forward to each year’s new entrants, finalists and winners, but we equally like to follow the Alumni with a close eye. There’s Hong Kong’s Angus Tsui, whose current collection, ‘BEEvolution’ employs up-cycling, embroidery and eco-printing techniques, and who believes that fashion is about being avant-garde, chic and non-repetitive; but it is also about protecting the environment. Then there is Pat Guzik, a Polish designer whose latest collection transforms unwanted and damaged textiles into new forms, and who uses local textile producers and seamstresses to produce her garments. We also love Filipino alumnus, Candle Ray’s new collection, which features handcrafted elements like raw hand-stitching and patchwork details made using factory off-cuts, incorporating his vision to encourage consumers to repair and recycle their old clothes.
PHOTO CREDIT Candle RAY
Ama Awe, by designer Amandah Andersson, is an alumnus brand we adore, with its conceptual chemical-free prints, where each print design tells its own story. And then there’s Amaud, the new brand by alumnus Sarah Jane Fergusson. She sources vintage silk kimonos from antique markets and experiments with modern techniques and silhouettes to bring historical garments into the modern age, through a lengthy, careful process of opening each kimono, cleaning it, and reassembling it. We love that her unique pieces capture the spirit of both of an ancient past and an exciting future.
Where to next? Our hope is that through platforms like the Redress Design Award and its Alumni Network more emerging designers are able to educate themselves, become inspired and embed circularity and sustainability into their collections. With so many incredible offerings entering the market, a shift in consumer habits and global buying teams will surely follow. In the words of Pat Guzik, “The future of fashion needs more responsible producers, suppliers, designers and consumers.”
This article originally appeared in the Redress Design Award 2019 Magazine.