[8 June 2026, Hong Kong] Asia-focused environmental NGO Redress, dedicated to reducing clothing’s negative environmental impacts since 2007, announces the eight Redress Design Award 2026 emerging sustainable fashion designer finalists, who out-designed hundreds of applicants globally. Representing seven regions across Asia, Europe, and Middle East, and proving diverse circular design solutions for both common and complex textile waste including factory excess, clothing waste, and furniture waste, they will soon showcase their collections at the globally-anticipated Grand Final Fashion Show in Hong Kong in September 2026 to bring tangible solutions to a mounting global textile waste crisis.

Supported by Lead Sponsor, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), the Redress Design Award is the world’s leading sustainable fashion design competition that showcases, educates, and empowers designers. Alumni from the competition represent 40+ regions worldwide.

Fashion’s waste problem, and the solutions needed, are critical: an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated annually by the fashion industry. However, the global textile industry is only 0.3% circular.

Waste under the spotlight – as designers from seven regions unite on the global stage 

Representing Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, the finalists were selected due to their distinct circular design talents working across a wide range of waste streams:

• • Post-consumer/unsold stock excess: Jasmine Cheuk (Hong Kong) and Issac Tong (Hong Kong) transform pre-loved garments, damaged textiles, unsold stock, and industrial waste through reconstruction and upcycling techniques. 

• • Factory Closures/Industry surplus: Alexandra Burch (UK) gives new life to faulty and reclaimed tweed blankets. Tal Zohar (Israel) repurposes recycled fibres, discarded leather scraps, secondhand hardware, and factory leftover yarn, including wool yarn cones donated from a closed factory.

• Non-clothing waste: Jon Liesenfeld (Germany) repurposes flawed leather, vintage furniture leather, and surplus army canvas. Holly Shih (UK/Taiwan) combines deadstock jersey with reclaimed rattan, brass, and plywood waste.
• Next-generation material innovation: David Schuch (Austria) develops biodegradable fruitleather and ethical non-livestock wool, reimagining raw material creation for circular fashion. Yi Ding (Chinese Mainland) uses engineered knit from recyclable polyurethane yarn to create fully zero-waste knitwear. 

Dr. Christina Dean, Founder and Chair, Redress and Judge, commented: “Around the world, the legislative hammer is coming down on the polluting fashion industry. Despite the complexity, the fashion industry is screaming for circular design solutions. The Redress Design Award circular fashion designer finalists are the breed of the future.”

Prizes Tailored to Top Talents

The Finalists are competing for an exciting First Prize, supported by global-led apparel manufacturer and supply chain manager, Simple Approach. The winner will receive an exclusive trip to the UK to connect with leading voices in sustainable fashion through curated studio visits, industry introductions, and behind-the-scenes experiences to gain insight into responsible fashion design, development, and manufacturing. Tailored to the winner’s career goals, this unique opportunity offers international exposure, industry mentorship, and valuable real-world experience within the sustainable fashion industry.

Rachel Franklin, Director of ESG, Simple Approach and Judge, shared: “Whilst the fashion industry is celebrated for its creativity, the reality is that it’s a highly complex sector, where change takes time, commitment and strong leadership. As a global-led apparel manufacturer and supply chain manager, Simple Approach produces millions of garments a year in multiple Asian countries. Incoming legislation for the fashion industry will profoundly impact fashion design, sourcing and production.”

Up next: Public Voting for People’s Choice Award

The Finalists must now bring their collections to life, to be delivered by our returning Gold Sponsor, DHL Express, using their GoGreen Plus service, a dedicated solution that reduces carbon emissions, celebrating our commitment to minimising environmental impact.

In August, Redress will invite the global public to cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award, highlighting the importance for everyday consumers to play their part in tackling fashion’s growing waste crisis. The People’s Choice winner will be announced at the Grand Final in Hong Kong, which will be livestreamed for viewers across the globe.

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High-resolution images available for download here.

Media Enquiries

Shirley A. Wong | shirleyaun@redress.com.hk | (852) 9257 0778

The Redress Design Award (www.redressdesignaward.com) is the world’s leading sustainable fashion design competition that educates and empowers emerging fashion designers about circular design techniques to reduce fashion’s negative environmental impacts. Organised by Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO Redress since 2011, the competition partners with academic institutions globally and attracts designer applicants from over 50 countries and regions to win prizes that connect them with global-leading fashion businesses to accelerate the change to a circular fashion industry.

Redress (www.redress.com.hk) is a Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO with a mission to accelerate the change to a circular fashion industry by educating and empowering designers and consumers so as to reduce clothing’s negative environmental impacts. 

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA’s strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not 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 Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.