German designer Nils Hauser is the winner of the Redress Design Award 2023, the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition. NGO Redress and partner VF Corporation announced this in a press release on Friday.
The award annually recognizes the best talent in the field of sustainable design – since around 80 percent of a product’s environmental impact is determined in the design phase, designers have a significant influence on advancing the circular economy in the fashion industry.
“The fashion industry needs to reinvent itself, from the drawing board to the boardroom. This change requires talent and strong leadership. Our collaboration with VF and Timberland by providing designers who practice circular economy highlights the role of designers and collaboration to create change. Armed with circular design techniques, decisions in the design phase can change fashion – and the world,” comments Redress founder Christina Dean in the release.
Winner Nils Hauser impresses with upcycling
As part of the competition, the aspiring designers addressed the challenge of how to create value from waste and create a more sustainable, circular future for the fashion industry. Hauser was the only German designer to make it among the 30 semi-finalists who were selected from hundreds of applications and announced at the end of April.
“We are always amazed by the quality of the designs and the range of talent shown by the Redress Design Awards finalists. Their passion for sustainable fashion and circular design is an inspiration and continues to motivate us as we work towards our vision of a greener future,” says Puneet Khosla, Managing Director, Timberland Asia Pacific, in the statement.
Hauser developed his “Ex Voto” collection for a fictional lost city that was destroyed and rebuilt under mysterious circumstances. His designs include a range of multifunctional garments, including a vest that can be worn in four different ways and a collar that folds into a mask.
For all creations, Hauser used upcycled materials such as sofa cover fabrics and nylon from an old family tent. By using water-based printing inks, he relies on environmentally friendly materials and processes.
Nils Hauser will collaborate with Timberland on circular fashion
As the winner, Hauser will work for VF brand Timberland on a circular fashion project that will be presented as part of the Spring 2025 collection. Hauser will be the first Redress Design Award winner to have the opportunity to work in VF’s Design Collective in Tokyo. This is considered an incubator for talent and inspiration for VF’s various global brands.
“Working with a world-leading brand like Timberland and bringing my ideas for sustainable fashion into the mainstream and large fashion market while working with Timberland’s team of experts is every designer’s dream. Designers have solutions and we know that together we can change something,” says Hauser, commenting on winning the prize.
“This experience will enable Nils to deepen his understanding of sustainability across the entire clothing and textile value chain – from production to marketing. We look forward to working with Nils in our design hub in Tokyo, where he can gain valuable insights and engage with an engaged community of designers,” adds Khosla.
Hauser has a degree in international fashion design from the Fashion Design Institute Düsseldorf and is currently completing an internship at the Berlin label Ottolinger. He was also able to gain experience as a model and in retail at the vintage store Not a Shop in Düsseldorf.
“For me, sustainability means finding ways to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. “Creating beautiful clothes shouldn’t come at the cost of polluting the planet,” concludes Hauser.