Meet Moriah Ardila, Redress Design Award 2019 finalist

For Moriah Ardila, the concept of sustainability is firmly embedded in ideas of re-use and repurposing. “Sustainable fashion means giving objects that are no longer necessary a second chance, which decreases the amount of waste we generate.” says Moriah, who is currently studying Fashion Sustainability at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Israel. Moriah’s competition collection draws inspiration from ideas of living minimally, under canvas and close to nature. Despite its origin, her collection’s title, ‘Home’, suggests ideas of safety and protection. Damaged camping equipment, such as sleeping bags and tents, form the materials of her designs. Shapes are functional but versatile and effortlessly cool, recalling the work of her creative hero, British fashion designer, Craig Green. Small details, such as windows, closing fasteners and finishes, are reminders of the items’ original purposes. “Simple defects can make old camping equipment unusable - but these are excellent quality materials, made for hard conditions,” points out Moriah. “Rather than discarding them, my project gives them new purpose.” Like many working within sustainability, she is frustrated by wastefulness. “Here in Israel, people buy clothes like they buy bread,” she says. “It’s a bad habit. We should choose quality instead of quantity. I wanted to become a sustainable fashion designer because I’m convinced that sustainable fashion can change the way the public thinks about clothing,” she continues. “Sustainability is the future. We are moving towards a better world where designers will be aware of the environment and the effects of mass consumption. I’m looking forward to influencing that future.”

Moriah is both a finalist of the Redress Design Award 2019 and the winner of this year’s People’s Choice award.

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