MY ROLE IN REMIX 2019: Looking Forward to the Future of Fur and Fashion
I’m excited to announce my position on the judging panel of the finale for REMIX 2019. Remix is a collaborative contest hosted by the International Fur Federation (IFF) and supported by Vogue Talents. It is a contest dedicated to promoting and celebrating young international designers.
Joining me on the judging panel are Sara Sozzani Maino, Gabriele Colangelo, Astrid Andersen, and Bryanboy. We will announce the winners at a special celebratory evening on February 24th.
This is the sixteenth edition of the competition, which focuses on Responsibility within the fashion industry. This is a perfect fit for my knowledge of the fur industry combined with my passion for sustainability and I can’t wait to see what the newest generation of designers are coming up with to tackle the environmental issues within our industry. This is the main focus of my work, and something I am very passionate about.
Meet the Finalists
Competition to be part of the contest process is fierce. The long selection stage began in September 2018, and the list of applicants was narrowed down to just ten finalists. Those finalists are:
* Long Chen – Asia REMIX winner
* Yuliya Yuknovich – Eurasia REMIX winner
* Alessia Rose Legault – Canada
* Dong Wang – China
* Elina Aarela – Finland
* Christelle Tran-Thiet – France
* Saskia Reggel – Germany
* Berivan Cemal – Netherlands
* Huseyin Ozer – Turkey
* Sirapop Dechraksa – USA
I am excited to have been selected to be part of the exceptional jury for this competition, which is being chaired by Sara Sozzani Maino. The winner’s sustainable creations will then be showcased as part of IFF’s annual fashion advertising campaign: FUR NOW. This campaign will be distributed worldwide in both print and digital, as well as on their social platforms and official website.
You all know how strongly I feel about the vital role that sustainable fur industry can play in making fashion more environmentally friendly and sustainable itself, so I am excited that new
designers are also rising to this challenge, and that such big names are committed to promoting this too.
The Winners Prizes
The winners of the competition will all receive money can’t buy prizes. The REMIX Gold winners prize is being sponsored by Kopenhagen Furs. The winner will receive 25 premium quality Kopenhagen Fur Mink skins to create with, as well as a paid trip to Copenhagen for a weeklong stay at their design studio. During this one-week trip, the winner will have the opportunity to interact with expert craftsmen and explore the newest and most advanced fur processing techniques.
The silver prize is sponsored by North American Fur Auctions (NAFA), and the winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Studio NAFA 2019 at NAFA’s headquarters in Toronto, Canada. Studio NAFA was created to innovate and cultivate expertise in the fur industry. The winner of this prize will learn and practice working with fur through an advanced curriculum taught by master furriers. This intensive training equips the current and next generation of fur designers with technique knowledge, skills and passion for the craft.
The final award of the night will be awarded by Saga Furs. The winner of the Saga Award will receive an all-expense paid trip to Saga Furs Design Centre for a one week technical training course. Here they will attend a fur innovation workshop gaining access to Saga Furs 3,000 plus craft techniques archive.
It is exciting to know that a new generation of enthusiastic fur designers will be honing their skills and innovating further as a result of the decisions I, and the rest of the judging panel, make next month.
Mark Oaten, CEO of IFF states: “We are very proud to be representing one of the most sustainable and natural material in the fashion industry and we keep encouraging young talent to get involved. The level of young designers that we see over the years at REMIX amazes me every time. Comparing creative minds around the world and showing their skills and abilities are key to maintaining this innovative, vital and modern industry. REMIX continues and will continue to push the boundaries of our industry, helping to change the perception of fur “.
“The new generation is our future. Never before in our history has it been so essential to look at sustainability and start thinking about producing in a sustainable way. Remix gives designers the opportunity to enhance the concept of sustainability by creating ad hoc projects “. Sara Sozzani Maino, Deputy Editor in Chief Vogue Italy and Head of Vogue Talents.
