For immediate release, September 4, 2018
“CHALLENGE THE FABRIC” AWARD LAUNCHES TO ENGAGE FASHION DESIGNERS TO EXPLORE VISCOSE AS AN ALTERNATIVE FABRIC
To raise awareness about viscose as an alternative fabric and support emerging fashion designers, Ekman & Co and the Swedish Fashion Council, together with contributing partners launch the “Challenge the Fabric” Award. Ten nominated designers have been challenged to design looks made from viscose, with the final being held September 13th at London Fashion Week.
Ekman & Co and partners Altri, Arauco, Sanyou Group and Södra, who are all within the forest, pulp and viscose industry, have teamed up with the Swedish Fashion Council to launch the Challenge the Fabric (CTF) Award. The CTF Award is an initiative to engage emerging design talents to explore viscose, its versatile application and characteristics. In addition, the CTF Award is aiming to open up the dialogue on viscose across fashion disciplines and influence the textile and fiber industry to improve the manufacturing processes of the fabric.
- Fashion consumption is increasing each year, which requires alternative components to sustain the future of fashion. Viscose has the potential to become an increasingly preferable alternative fabric, but the majority does not know what viscose is, or that it is processed from wood. By raising awareness about viscose and by engaging emerging generations of fashion professionals we seek to contribute to positive developments within the fashion industry. That is why we are very proud to launch the CTF Award together with Altri, Arauco, Sanyou Group and Södra and the Swedish Fashion Council, says Nina Elmersson, VP - strategy & project at Ekman & Co.
For London Fashion Week, six finalists out of the ten nominees will present a selection of BA graduation and newly designed viscose looks at the CTF Show, and thereby representing some of the most prestigious fashion universities around the world. The finalists are: Harry Freegard of London’s Central St Martins, Brandon Wen of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Christine-Marie Valtonen of Helsinki’s Aalto University, Anna Bernal of Arnhem’s ArtEZ, Elena Velez of New York’s Parsons School and Paolo Carzana of London’s University of Westminster. A complementary exhibition presents the viscose looks of Zhenyuan Yang, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Yiyuan Sun of Shanghai’s Donghua University as well as, Kajsa Willumsen, The Swedish School of Textiles, Borås.
The prominent jury of the award include Penny Martin, editor in chief of The Gentlewoman, the people behind the popular Instagram account Diet Prada, Jo Barker, editor in chief of Re-Edition, fashion designer Ann-Sofie Back, Tiffany Godoy creative director of The Reality Show, rapper and member of gravity boys, Ecco2K and founder of the fashion brand Vyner Articles, Heikki Salonen. The winner will receive the CTF Award designed by Jenny Nordberg, along with €30,000.
In addition to the fashion show, a panel discussion will take place, moderated by Rebecca Earley, Professor Sustainable Fashion Textile Design and co-founder of the Centre for Circular Design, in which experts discuss viscose and highlight how to sustain fashion through developments in the fabric sector.
ABOUT CHALLENGE THE FABRIC AWARD
CTF stands for Challenge the Fabric and is initiated by Ekman & Co and the Swedish Fashion Council, in partnership with Altri, Arauco, Sanyou Group, and Södra. CTF aims at opening the dialogue about viscose as an alternative to natural and synthetic fibers, and in the long, run contributing to a more sustainable fabric process for viscose. The background of the initiative is that the fashion industry’s fiber demand has reached peak cotton, exceeding the supply in recent years. The exploration of alternatives to fill the fiber gap is urgently needed and viscose might have the potential to be a solution.
Date & Location
13th September 2018
Covent Garden, London
For more information contact:
Nina Elmersson, VP – strategy & project, Ekman & Co
nina.elmersson@ekmangroup.com
With further support of
the Embassy of Sweden in London &
the General Representation of the Government of Flanders in the United Kingdom
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For immediate release, 5th July 2018
SWEDISH FASHION COUNCIL EXCITED ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF THE “CHALLENGE THE FABRIC” AWARD – AND ITS FIRST NOMINEES
The “Challenge the Fabric” Award seeks to raise awareness about viscose as an alternative to other fibres as well as challenge emerging fashion designers to explore the material as an alternative for their existing designs. Fashion designers from some of the most influential schools around the globe are challenged to design with textiles made from viscose, with the finalists’ collection to be presented during London Fashion Week.
Eleven emerging designers are nominated for the first edition of the “Challenge the Fabric” (CTF) Award. The award, initiated by Ekman & Co., along with contributing partners, will highlight creative talent and design expertise, and give the nominees the opportunity to create two to four looks made of viscose fabrics. The viscose looks extend the candidates’ graduation collection, thereby exploring the characteristics, qualities and future potential of viscose. At last, selected finalists will showcase their viscose designs to an international audience during this year’s London Fashion Week in September.
During London Fashion Week, the finals take place in two complementary events. As part of a panel discussion, industry experts will discuss how to sustain fashion with the help of new materials, highlighting the topic from the perspective of production and consumption. A fashion show will present the finalists’ collections, which will be evaluated by an international jury of fashion professionals. Ultimately, one winner will be announced and receive the CTF Award and €30,000.
Congratulations to the nominees for the first CTF Award:
- Anna Bernal, Arnhem Fashion Design
- Brandon Wen, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp
- Christine-Marie Valtonen, Aalto University of Arts, Design & Architecture, Helsinki
- Danni Jin, Tsinghua University, Beijing
- Elena Veleze, Parsons School of Design, New York
- Harry Freegard, Central Saint Martins, London
- Jae Won Koo, London College of Fashion
- Kajsa Willumsen, The Swedish School of Textiles, Borås
- Paolo Carzana, University of Westminster, London
- Yiyuan Sun, Donghua University, Shanghai
- Zhenyuan Yang, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology
About CTF Award
CTF stands for Challenge the Fabric and is initiated by Ekman & Co in partnership with Altri, Arauco, Sanyou Group, and Södra. CTF aims at opening the dialogue about viscose as an alternative to natural and synthetic fibers, and in the long run contributing to a more sustainable fabric process for viscose. The background of the initiation of the award is that the fashion industry’s demand has reached peak cotton, exceeding the supply in recent years. The exploration of alternatives to fill the fiber gap is urgently needed and viscose might have the potential to be a solution.
For more information, contact:
Nina Elmersson Jennie Rosén
Vice President Strategy & Project Ekman & Co CEO Swedish Fashion Council
nina.elmersson@ekmangroup.com Jennie@swedishfashioncouncil.se
