Meet the 2025 Semi-finalists

Jon Liesenfeld

Redress Design Award

  • 2026
 Finalist

Meet The Designer

“Sustainability is not an added bonus, but the foundation on which fashion should be built. It is not an obstacle to design around, but a source of inspiration from which I draw, because necessity is the mother of invention.”
Jon Liesenfeld
“Sustainability is not an added bonus, but the foundation on which fashion should be built. It is not an obstacle to design around, but a source of inspiration from which I draw, because necessity is the mother of invention.”
Jon Liesenfeld

Bio

Jon Liesenfeld is a Finalist of the Redress Design Award 2026. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design from Akademie Mode & Design (AMD), Düsseldorf, Germany.

Region

  • Germany

Collection

  • Menswear

Design Techniques

  • Reconstruction, Upcycling

Redress Design Award Collection

Jon’s Redress Design Award collection, ‘The youth lacks its master’, explores the declining bond between young and old, while contemplating the importance of mutual understanding between generations. The collection’s visual inspiration comes from the designer’s youth, when he was mentored by his grandfather. Jon fuses flawed leather with deadstock jersey, cutting the leather in between the seams to incorporate the jersey’s elasticity. He upcycles from various waste streams, including a look made from a 15-year-old leather family couch, car leather upcycled into a coat, and deadstock sweat fabric turned into trousers.

Q&A with the designer

Sustainable fashion comes naturally to me because I’ve always been fascinated by things that show signs of age and use. This appreciation influences my use of materials that have already lived a previous life and carry their own story.

The same idea inspires the creative side of my work. I’m inspired by archetypes, both in clothing and in characters, that have developed stereotypes and a certain nostalgia over time, then reshaping them into something new. I enjoy taking something people recognise and building a new story around it.

My work is about experimentation and finding new possibilities in what already exists. I’m constantly looking for ways to use scraps, reclaimed goods, or unexpected materials, and to turn them into something contemporary. But sustainability goes beyond the materials—the stories behind the pieces are just as important. I implement deeply personal storytelling, aiming to encourage stronger emotional connection. I want people to cherish what they own rather than constantly replace things.

My goal is to help shift the way people think about clothing, encouraging them to celebrate aging, repair, and individuality, rather than constant replacement. I want to promote the idea of a characterful wardrobe, where garments become more meaningful over time.

In the future, I see myself continuing to experiment with innovative ways of reusing materials, while building a community around mending and creative reuse. I aim to develop methods that others can reinterpret for themselves, empowering people to engage more actively in the life cycle of their clothing.

Headphones—helping me to switch off the noise around me when an idea suddenly appears. Inspiration can hit anywhere, and having my headphones on helps me to get the idea down before it disappears.

The collection is built around youth tales and their relationships with older generations. Whether the stories are supportive or more complicated, they show how much we can learn from one another. Through the garments, I explore ideas of passing things down, respecting and challenging tradition, and the memories tied to people and places. At its core, the collection is a celebration of the connection between generations and an invitation to keep that exchange alive.

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