Arts Thread

Update! Congratulations to winner Emily Omesi from FIT NYC for ‘Bacterial Genetics’ Read Emily's story here and Interview here ! Update! Our 10 Finalist designers ! Alice Morgan for ‘Fragments’ / Chloe Twigg / Emily Omesi for ‘Bacterial Genetics’ / Iga Kampa for ‘Fawda’ / Jonathan Ferris for ‘Guntastölzl’ / Katie Griffith Morgan for ‘Through the Lens’ / Meghan Beattie for ‘Deep Sea’ / Nathalie Hauser for ‘Gestalt’ / Teresita Marrero Escalona for ‘A Tu Gusto’ / Yang Shen for ‘Looming’ Update! Our 30 shortlisted designers are - Alice Morgan for ‘Fragments’ Amanda Trom for ‘We Are Here’ Anna Melegh for ‘The Bug Designer’ Chloe Twigg Daiana-Gabriela Ion for ‘The Shape of Light’ Eliška Chromčáková for ‘Pera Spera Adastra’ Emily Omesi for ‘Bacterial Genetics’ Emma Münstermann for ‘Leather Goes Upcycling’ Gaëlle Da Costa for ‘Leather Veston Conjunction 1.0’ Georgia Hallsworth for ‘A Work of Art’ Iga Kampa for ‘Fawda’ Isabella Diorio for ‘Kay Lynn Tote’ Jonathan Ferris for ‘Guntastölzl’ Kaiqi Wang for ‘Bang Bang Pow Pow’ Katie Griffith Morgan for ‘Through the Lens’ Lam Bui for ‘Missed and Remembered’ Lisa Van Wersch for ‘She Asks’ Lucy Growdon for ‘Observe’ Meghan Beattie for ‘Deep Sea’ Naima Touray for ‘Tropical Cowboys’ Natalia Chiro Tarrab for ‘Roots – Merging Times’ Natalija Siukstiene for ‘Traditions & Innovations’ Nathalie Hauser for ‘Gestalt’ Nicolas Rademacher for ‘Viper Dress’ Ruvarashe Claudia Torto Sara Carney for ‘Til Death Do Us Apart’ Teresita Marrero Escalona for ‘A Tu Gusto’ Thomas Castree for ‘The Urban Night’ Victoria Archer for ‘Throw Like a Girl’ Yang Shen for ‘Looming’ Real Leather. Stay Different. International Design Competition 2021 Are you concerned about food waste and throwaway, plastic, fast fashion? Real Leather points out that almost half of the world’s leather hides, created by our growing demand for food – from burgers to milkshakes, are just thrown away every year. * read more below We would like you to put some of this waste to use, creating visually stunning apparel, accessories or footwear using Real Leather. The shortlist will be assessed by an expert judging panel - Milan Miladinov, Art Director at Rollacoaster & designer at Wonderland, Fashion Stylist Mike Adler who has worked for leading fashion magazines & styled runway shows for designers, Katie Greenyer, Global Creative Talent & Network Director at Pentland Brands and Stephen Sothmann, President of Leather and Hide Council of America (L&HCA). *read more on the judges below The winner’s design will be professionally made and featured on a front cover of Rollacoaster Magazine AW21 with the winner interviewed for a competition feature, which will also be promoted in sister magazine, Wonderland. DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 28 2021 23.59 ET THE PRIZE The winner’s design will be professionally made and featured on a front cover of Rollacoaster Magazine AW21, with the winner interviewed for a competition feature that will also be promoted in sister magazine Wonderland. You will also be given a full expenses paid trip to London to see the photo shoot and you will receive one of the limited edition hardback books celebrating the best entries from around the world and the views of the judges on your work. THE BRIEF & DELIVERABLES You are asked to use leather as the inspiration for a single item, either clothing, shoes or accessories, that uses leather for more than 50% of the item and that captures one or more of the facets of leather from beauty and versatility to strength and durability. Entries should include all these elements - 1 – Mood Boards & Inspiration - minimum 2 pages 2 - Sketches, Flats, Technical Specs, and One Final Design Drawing (the item does not need to be physically made - the winner’s design will be professionally made.) 3 – Make a video! It’s optional, but we’d love to see one. A short two-minute video to introduce you and your design. There are some practical considerations as we are looking for the designers who will start new brands, fashion movements or style trends. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS Open to anyone studying art and design or has graduated from art and design higher education within the last two (2) years. Entrants must be over 18 years old. Open globally Entrants cannot be currently employed full-time within the creative sector. 
 HOW TO ENTER STEP 1 Already got an ARTS THREAD portfolio? To enter, simply log into your account, upload your design as a new project, return to this page and select your project into the Competition box above. New to ARTS THREAD? To enter, register to create an ARTS THREAD account and go to your email and click on the activation link sent to your email Inbox. Then log into your account, upload your project, then return to this page and select your project into the Competition box above. AFTER COMPLETING STEP 1 STEP 2 Complete our online International Design Competition 2021 Entry Form Please ensure you have read the Terms & Conditions for the International Design Competition 2021 ENTRY: Free to apply DEADLINE TO APPLY: April 28 2021 23.59 ET MEET THE JUDGES Meet the Art Director…. Milan Miladinov Milan is the Art Director at international fashion magazine Rollacoaster and a designer for sister publication, Wonderland. He enjoys collaborating with and nurturing new emerging talents from the creative world, be it fashion, music or image making and giving them a platform to showcase their ideas and individuality. “Fashion is a mirror of our society. Considering everything that has happened this year, I see the future of fashion firmly moving into the digitised space, an era of infinite possibilities. The power of technology and social media will transform the whole fashion industry." Meet the Fashion Stylist…. Mike Adler Mike has worked for leading fashion magazines and some of the world’s most iconic photographers. His expertise and connections with many Haute Couture brands has given him a unique eye and style celebrities yearn for. Across a career spanning 20 years (and counting), Mike has attended to the style of Josh O'Connor, Maisie Williams, Elizabeth Hurley, Emma Corrin and Monica Bellucci, among many others. What he loves about leather is that it crosses many fashion trends “I think the future of fashion is sustainability – and it is a consumer-led movement. Big brands are being driven to be more ethical in the way they source their leather and the assets they use. And sustainable leather has also become more available to brands.” Meet the Designer… Katie Greenyer Katie Greenyer is a creative mind, business leader and producer of innovative design. She’s worked with some of the most formative names in fashion, from luxury (Vivienne Westwood and Christian Lacroix) to high street (Dr. Martens and French Connection). Now Global Creative Talent & Network Director at Pentland Brands, Katie continues to generate, product & campaigns for some of the world’s best-loved sports, fashion and outdoor brands. Katie has a unique flair for identifying exceptional talent coupled with an ability to foster and develop new careers. She uses her enduring relationships with educators and institutions across the nation to support young people with the ambition to achieve a career in design. “Investigate and find out everything you possibly can about a career. Enter competitions, offer yourself up to work on projects and placements. Don’t be afraid to connect with people that can get your foot in the door. Have breadth in your portfolio, be passionate focussed and don’t give up.” Meet the President… Stephen Sothmann Steve is the president of Leather and Hide Council of America (L&HCA) and is passionate about the use of leather as the material of choice, stylish, durable and iconic, that stands in the face of fast fashion. It is about reaching out to tomorrow’s designers - the ones that are going to be making decisions in the fashion houses, and ultimately shape our tomorrows. “I am proud to be part of an industry that predates that of fashion and indeed the concept of industry itself; and that leather is coming back into vogue as fashion looks to a greener, more sustainable future.” *Slow Style. Fast Fashion. Or both? Covid-time has made many of us pause and think again about our lifestyles and the social and environmental impacts we have. Where will the balance be found between enduring style and fast fashion, how sustainable can we be expected to be? We are not short of choice; from cottons to plastics, from hemp to leather, each with different challenges in sourcing, production, lifecycles, and disposal. To give you a feel, more than 100 billion items of clothing, worn on average just seven times, are thrown away annually, taking tens if not hundreds of years to biodegrade. Real Leather points out that more than 40% of the world’s leather hides, the by-product of our ever growing population and demand for meat and dairy produce, are just thrown away every year. We should be using our waste before plundering the planet for more resources. So alongside brilliant, beautiful and striking design, our judges are going to be interested in how entrants are approaching creating garments that will not only last, but be loved, for a lifetime. Wouldn’t you be? For more background information on the competition and the Real Leather. Stay Different. campaign, visit chooserealleather.com and follow us on Instagram at @chooserealleather and on Facebook.