Celebrating sustainability: highlights from the 15th Redress Design Award at Centrestage
“We want to make circular fashion as coveted as Labubu,” declared fashion designer Flora Cheong-Leen as she presented the first prize at the 15th Redress Design Award—words that captured both the evening’s ambition and its underlying urgency. At Hong Kong’s Convention and Exhibition Centre, where Asia’s fashion elite gathered for Centrestage, the Redress Design Award, which took place on September 4, was one of the marquee events. Organised by Redress, an environmental NGO with a mission to drive circular fashion, the award highlights young designers who are making waves in sustainable fashion and promoting circularity.
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Redress Design Awards first prize winners, Hugo Dumas from France (right) and Carla Zhang (left) from mainland China
This year, the event showcased ten finalists whose collections transformed waste streams such as discarded tents and curtains into high-fashion statements.
Hugo Dumas from France and Carla Zhang from mainland China took home the top honours, their collections representing distinctly different yet equally compelling approaches to circular design. Dumas presented a zero-waste collection from textile waste and defective stock of linen, while Zhang’s handwoven pieces transformed surplus cords and yarns into luxury garments. Meanwhile, Mara San Pedro from the Philippines won the People’s Choice vote and Nathan Moy won the best designer from Hong Kong.
At the Redress Design Award 2025, Mara San Pedro from the Philippines won the People’s Choice vote
Nathan Moy (centre), who won the best designer from Hong Kong, collects his prize from Dr Christina Dean (far left) and Nissa Cornish (far right)
With support from sponsors like DHL, the winners will showcase their collections at Shanghai’s Greenext Expo 2025 and collaborate on limited-edition retail pieces with Cheong-Leen.
While the evening was a glamorous affair, Redress founder Dr Christina Dean also reminded guests of the stark reality behind the glitz and glamour. “Designers aren’t being adequately empowered, from university classrooms to industry boardrooms, while consumers are, ethically speaking, asleep in their wardrobes,” she said. “Around the world, the textile waste that is washing up on beaches and overflowing in landfills is telling the planet something. The question is, are we listening?”
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