Ensemble launches The EcoChic Design Award 2015-16

Ensemble’s The EcoChic Design Award 2015-16.

Mumbai, 17th June: In their search for India’s talented emerging sustainable designers, Hong Kong based charity, Redress and India’s oldest multi-designer store, Ensemble launched The EcoChic Design Award 2015/16 this evening at Ensemble, Mumbai. The goal of this powerful collaboration is to allow India-based emerging designers to participate in the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition.

The EcoChic Design Award Academy was co-hosted by Tina Tahiliani Parikh, Executive Director, Ensemble, who was accompanied by Christina Dean, Founder of Redress and sustainable fashion expert and designer, Paromita Banerjee, with support by IMG Lakme Fashion Week.

The EcoChic Design Award Fashion Academy saw a mix of enthusiastic young designers and fashion students, eager to learn about sustainable fashion and its future in India. It also was a great opportunity to mingle with some of the leading names in the fashion industry.

Tina Tahiliani Parikh, a member of the advisory board of The EcoChic Design Award, says, “At Ensemble, we are devoted supporters of sustainable fashion and are thrilled to be introducing The EcoChic Design Award in India along with Redress. We have always promoted new talent and I feel that this is a great platform to find young designers who are also dedicated to sustainable fashion.”

The EcoChic Design Award Fashion Academy equipped the audience with the knowledge of sustainable fashion design techniques such as zero-waste, upcycling and reconstruction, which will be tested throughout the competition.

The EcoChic Design Award challenges emerging fashion designers with less than three years’ experience to create high fashion with minimal waste. Following the online application deadline of 15 August 2015, ten finalists from Asia and Europe will then create and present their sustainable collections at Hong Kong Fashion Week in January 2016 where the winner will be announced. First Prize is the opportunity to design a new upcycled collection for the leading luxury brand, Shanghai Tang. In addition, the best Indian designer applicant will be featured at IMG’s Lakmé Fashion Week in August 2015.

“The EcoChic Design Award is a powerful platform that is driving change in the fashion industry,” says Christina Dean, Founder of Redress. “Over the last five years, we’ve introduced sustainable fashion education to thousands of emerging designers, influenced global fashion brands to produce upcycled collections and reached millions of consumers. Our expansion to India is a huge step for us and for sustainable fashion as we enter this exciting, talented market to continue to inspire tomorrow’s leaders to be agents of change.”

Tina was weraing Paromita Banerjee