H&M UK partnered with Central Saint Martins tertiary art school to launch the H&M Sustainable Fashion and Journalism Awards as part of an effort to help drive more solutions to the fashion industry’s biggest obstacles, such as sustainability and innovation .
The four inaugural scholarship winners each received a grant, which was used to build their collections and degree projects, along with additional support, including visibility and networking opportunities.
This year’s winners include:
• BA Fashion Communication: Fashion Journalism Winner, Ella Dewberry and her Plexa platform – a repository of sustainability explored through augmented reality. Rooted in meta-fun, Plexa takes a futuristic approach to tackling the many ethical and sustainable issues challenging the fashion industry today.
• BA Fashion Design winner Daniel Fabara and his ANAKULL collection – a menswear collection about metamorphosis and perception that pays homage to Fabara’s Colombian heritage through pre-Hispanic design elements and sustainability through his creative use of stock, charity upcycled garments and regenerative materials .
• BA Fashion Design winner Ciaran Griffiths and his menswear collection rooted in queer culture and personal experience. Through exaggerated proportions, volumes and vibrant print, Ciaran recaptures the strange experience in an innovative and creative way.
• BA Fashion Design winner Max Brewer and their Angels collection – a womenswear collection that puts sustainability first. Max’s collaboration with Care Opticians and Ace&Tate allowed them to create a series of heads made from recycled lenses to mimic wing patterns.
Winners were able to present their collections and projects to the UK fashion network at an exclusive Sustainable Showcase event where press, brands, designers and design teams were able to meet and experience the winners’ creations. Winners will also see their collections and projects showcased in the H&M Oxford Circus storefront during August and September.
“In its first year, the H&M Sustainable Fashion and Journalism Awards aim to become an enduring force in the UK fashion industry. This year’s winners offer distinctive approaches to information sharing and sustainable design. As well as supporting these emerging talents through much-needed scholarships, this initiative also offers further support, including access to the UK’s extensive fashion network and leveraging H&M’s size and scale to deliver invaluable visibility ,” says Josh Woodend, communications specialist and press officer. H&M UK and Ireland.
“As we look to the future, we hope the H&M Sustainable Fashion & Journalism Awards will continue to recognize and reward those who dare to innovate, think big and accelerate the transition to circular fashion.”
Parent company H&M Group recently revealed plans to close its operations in Russia, noting that continuing business in the country is “impossible” given the current situation.
