The grand finale event of the Responsible Fashion Awards. The second edition of the competition has come to an end

The jury announced the winner of this year’s edition of the Responsible Fashion Awards, the first pro-ethical fashion competition in Poland. Ewelina Szymańska surprised us with a unique design which proved both her love of design and care for ecology. The grand finale of the second edition of the RFA took place on 2 March.

Following the success of the first edition of the Responsible Fashion Awards, organised by the International School of Costume and Fashion Design in collaboration with LPP, the second edition of the event took place at the Vizja Park Campus. RFA is the first pro-ethical and pro-environmental Polish fashion competition created for young designers who are interested in corporate social responsibility, ethics and ecology.

“The aim of the competition is primarily to promote sustainable fashion and sustainable solutions, both technological and aesthetic ones, which will facilitate introduction of ethical and ecological innovations in clothing design. Through the competition, we also want to promote young designers who are empathetic, sensitive and committed to the idea of responsible fashion” – said Dr Magdalena Płonka, director of MSKPU and CSR expert.

This year, the RFA finale took a slightly different form. The foreign members of the jury could not attend the event in person due to the pandemic, so they connected to Warsaw via an application that allowed them to see the designs of this year’s participants, ask them questions, and select the best work. As in the previous edition of the competition, the decision was not easy as the participants represented a very high level.

“What is happening in society, our emotions and behaviours are hugely reflected in creativity as well, including fashion. All the designs were extremely diverse. They reflected the uniqueness of the participants and the fact that everyone had their own vision. In evaluating the finalists’ work, we took into account many aspects, including the idea of sustainable fashion, which they implemented in their designs, as well as the visual and technical aspects” – added Anna Sołtys, director of the Reserved product office, LPP SA.

A talented group of young designers presented their works in the finals: Magdalena Bylewska, Patrizia Ende, Lilianna Guzik, Jagodziński Mateusz, Aleksandra Klekot, Monika Łuczak, Ewelina Szymańska, Joanna Zontek, and Joanna Żeleźnik. The title of the best designer was awarded to Ewelina Szymańska.

“The inspiration for my project was nostalgia, a feeling which accompanies most of us these days. For me, nostalgia was connected to the time when I lived in the UK. This is where my passion for fashion design began. The first museum I visited while living in London was Tate Modern, and I went there several times later. I was absolutely fascinated by the architecture of the building, and this is what influenced my collection. The abstract paintings I saw there inspired me to create prints, which I made myself using eco-friendly fabric dyes” – said the RFA winner about her design; she received a prize of 5,000 zlotys from the competition organisers, a one-year scholarship at MSKPU, participation in the 2021 Graduation Show and eco-friendly fabrics from LPP to make a full collection.

The jury consisted of the following persons: Ola Bąkowska (Project manager Circular Textiles in Circle Economy), Magdalena Floryszczyk (lecturer at MSKPU, LABO brand), Wiktoria Frankowska (MSKPU graduate, winner of the 1st edition of RFA), Dobrosława Gogłoza (Head of Strategy w All Hands Agency), Bram Jespers (Professor The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Ghent), Katarzyna Szpicmacher i Aleksandra Kantor (BIO2materials), Martyna Kozłowska (coordinator of the anti-fur campaign, Viva Foundation), Theresa Lobo (Professor IADE Creative University Portugal), Anna Miazga (Expert and innovator of sustainable design in fashion), Giovanni Ottonello (Design Professor, IED Milano), Piret Puppart (Professor KA- Estonian Academy of Fine Arts), dr Magdalena Płonka (Director of MSKPU and CSR lecturer), Anna Sołtys (Director of Reserved product office), Ricardo Terzo (Vogue Italia ), and Michał Zaczyński (journalist, fashion critic).

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LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. For over 25 years it has been successfully operating in Poland and abroad, offering its collection in traditional stores already on 25 markets, including in such prestigious capitals as London, Berlin, Tel Aviv or Moscow. LPP SA manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay. The company has a chain of over 1800 stores with the total area of over 1.3 million sq.m. The online offer of the brands collections is available on 29 markets. On the basis of a global supply chain, the Polish clothing producer distributes over 265 million pieces of clothing to three continents. 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.