The Imagining Sustainable Fashion Award for 2022 has been bestowed on Vishal Tolambia, 24, a graduate with an MA in Fashion Futures from the London College of Fashion and in Fashion Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) India.
The announcement: The winner was announced during a webinar broadcast on 30 March that was attended by Giusy Bettoni, CEO of CLASS Eco Hub; Anna Detheridge, President of Connecting Cultures; Dio Kurazawa, Founding Partner of The Bear Scouts; and Stefania Ricci, Director of the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum.
The winner: Tolambia, in 2021, founded the Humanity-Centred Designs (HCD) organisation with the aim of transforming "human-centred design into humanity-centred designs through sustainable practices to foster the fashion industry." Tolambia won the €3,000 prize made possible thanks to the support of the main sponsors Roica by Asahi Kasei and Bemberg by Asahi Kasei and the other project sponsors Supreme Green Cotton by Varvaressos and Ecosensor by Asahi Kasei.
His award-winning video project titled Fashion Affair proposed a speculative view of fashion dating - derived from dating apps - a tool to effectively evaluate brands and their products, in the form of augmented reality. The consumer is not only informed in real time about the brand and supply chain, but the app also becomes a platform for matching products based on individual sustainability goals and commitments.
Fashion Affair also won the special social media contest open to the public among the finalists selected by the jury for being the most voted project by Instagram followers on the CLASS profile.
The jury: The winner was selected by a jury comprising
- Anna Detheridge, Founder and President, Connecting Cultures
- Giusy Bettoni, CEO and Founder, C.L.A.S.S.
- Rita Airaghi, Director, Gianfranco Ferré Research Center
- Paola Arosio, Head of New Brands & Sustainability Projects, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion)
- Jeanine Ballone, Managing Director, Fashion 4 Development
- Evie Evangelou, Founder and President, Fashion 4 Development
- Chiara Luisi, Sustainability Projects Coordinator, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion)
- Sara Kozlowski, Director of Education and Sustainable Strategies, Council of Fashion Designers of America
- Dio Kurazawa, Founding Partner, The Bear Scouts
- Renata Molho, journalist and fashion writer, former editor-in-chief of L'Uomo Vogue and editor-at-large of L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue Italia, Casa Vogue
- Stefania Ricci, Director, Salvatore Ferragamo Museum.
Vishal's project resonated with us for its impactful vision where we will be able to immerse ourselves with real time information and insight. Vishal highlights how the industry lacks transparency and how technology can be a driving force in transforming how we interact with brands. Vishal's video and project used augmented reality in an innovative and ethical way.
Giusy Bettoni and Anna Detheridge
