Letter from our Founder
When I was a child, my wannabe-environmental activist parents rightly or wrongly told me that it would be my generation who would ‘save’ the world from pollution. Today, whilst working in sustainability in the fashion industry, it feels like a failure to admit that we’re still looking to the next generation of designers to ‘save’ fashion.
The fashion industry—which today’s ambitious designers inherit—is one of distress. Think geopolitical tensions, rising economic inflation, complex global supply chains, and increased legislation. When it comes to fashion’s A–Z list of environmental woes, from chemical and carbon pollution to the crisis in textile waste that sees an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste generated annually*, it’s a wonder that anyone with a creative bone in their body would feel the inclination to enter the sector.
Yet the fashion industry is full of charisma, creativity, and courage. That’s why we at environmental NGO Redress, who have believed in the positive power of fashion since our 2007 launch, created the Redress Design Award. We serve as a beacon for the next generation to flex and flow their creative collections, made with sustainability at their core, and placing love and hope into every stitch.
The Redress Design Award 2026 showcases eight finalists from around the world who represent the next generation of waste-reducing designers. We’re invited into their world of wonder as their courageous beliefs sashay down the runway, perhaps leaving us wondering if we could do more ourselves to ‘save’ the fashion industry, from our wardrobes to our workplaces.
Wishing the designers the greatest of luck and courage for their careers ahead!
Dr. Christina Dean
Founder and Board Chair, Redress
*Source: Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group (2017), Pulse of the Fashion Industry