Responsible fashion awards competition was held for the 3rd time. We know the winners
Dominik Żyża was announced winner of this year’s edition of Responsible Fashion Awards, a competition promoting ecological and ethical solutions in the textile industry. The competition finale took place on 24 June in Warsaw.
The Responsible Fashion Awards competition has been organised for three years by the International School of Costume and Fashion Design in collaboration with LPP. The main objective is to promote pro-ethical and pro-environmental solutions in the fashion industry and to support young designers acting in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
– I am delighted that, despite the pandemic and the specific times in which we are organising the competition, we have managed to run the three editions held so far in an effective and timely manner. It is fantastic that so many students and graduates of varius schools, not only art schools, take part – emphasises Magdalena Płonka, Director of the International School of Costume and Fashion Design.
This year’s RFA finale was held at the Fryderyk Chopin Museum in Warsaw. The nine finalists presented their work: Alicja Bogusz, Małgorzata Dzierżęga, Aleksandra Dzwonkowska, Dorota Gąsiorowska-Skrzypek, Mariia Horbenko, Gabriela Kozula, Julia Masłosz, Joanna Zontek, Dominik Żyża.
The winner of this edition was Dominik Żyża, a student of clothing design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, whose project was inspired by fungi. The winner received PLN 10,000, the opportunity to present the collection at the graduation show of the MSKPU, a professional photo shoot of the silhouettes and their presentation in the Reserved store windows.
– The collection I designed is entitled “Mycophyta-future of fashion”. Mycophyta is the Latin name for the kingdom of fungi. In the designs, I combined the classic character of heavy clothing associated with geometry, straight cuts and flat surfaces with shapes inspired by fungi. This way, in an artistic and abstract way, I show the interdependence between fashion and the responsible and sustainable direction it should take. I believe that fungi-based materials will constitute a very important part of the industry, as is already evident in the latest trends. In addition, their production entails trace amounts of CO2 and uses less water than their currently most commonly used counterparts, making them some of the most environmentally friendly materials available on the market – says Domnik Żyża.
The competition participants were judged by a group of specialists from the CSR industry, lecturers, journalists and representatives of the fashion world. LPP was represented by Anna Sołtys, director of the Reserved product office in Warsaw, who was supported by Natalia Szydłowska-Magdziarz, product team leader. The entries were also judged by Magda Jagnicka, a stylist and Reserved ambassador.
– For LPP, co-organising Responsible Fashion Awards is an opportunity to support young designers and identify talent. We are well aware of how difficult it is to take the first steps in the industry, so in this way we want to promote creative artists at the beginning of their career path. The event is also in line with our sustainable development strategy, whose important components are corporate social responsibility, ethics and ecology – points out Karolina Czajewska, employer branding specialist and project coordinator on behalf of LPP.
The jury also comprised: Magdalena Płonka (director of MSKPU and CSR lecturer), Ewelina Antonowicz (Sustainable Fashion Institute), Christina Bifano, Andrzej Foder (Łódź University of Technology), Paulina Górska (journalist, influencer), Theresa Lobo (professor at IADE Creative University Portugal), Michał Szulc (designer, lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź), Ewa Polkowska (MSKPU, Reserved designer), Karolina Sobańska, Ewelina Szymańska (winner of the 2nd edition of RFA), Piret Puppart (professor at KA- Estonian Academy of Fine Arts), Ricardo Terzo (Marie Claire Italia), Michał Zaczyński (journalist, fashion critic), Anna Miazga (Sustainability Manager).
LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. For 30 years, it has been successfully operating in Poland and abroad, offering its collections in such prestigious capitals as London, Helsinki or Tel Aviv. LPP SA manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay, whose offer is available today in stationary and online stores in nearly 40 markets worldwide. The company has a chain of over 1700 stores with the total area of 1.4 million sq.m. Based on a global distribution network located in 3 countries, it distributes clothing and accessories to 3 continents every year. LPP also plays an important role as it employs over 24 thousand people in its offices and sales structures in Poland, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the WIG20 index and belongs to the prestigious MSCI Poland index.