Redress judge and supermodel Bonnie Chen followed our Redress Design Award 2025 Finalists around for a tour of a TAL Apparel garment factory in Vietnam, where the designers discovered first-hand how innovative, thoughtful production can aid sustainable design and minimise waste. There, they were challenged to reconstruct a defective shirt into a commercially viable semi-formal garment for the Redress Alumni brand, Jann Bungcaras—a task intentionally aligned with the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which aims to improve products’ circularity.

Their designs addressed textile waste while incorporating key ecodesign principles, such as durability, minimal waste generation, repairability, and recyclability, as outlined in the ESPR.

An estimated 80% of a product’s environmental impact is influenced by decisions made at the design stage*. By collaborating with and learning from world-class manufacturers, designers can drive innovation and solutions to make fashion more sustainable.

*Source: EU Science Hub (2018): Sustainable Product Policy