Celebrity panel to judge ‘Real Leather’ competition

REAL LEATHER. STAY DIFFERENT. 2024 ANNOUNCES JUDGING PANEL
In partnership with Arts Thread, the Real Leather. Stay Different. International Student Design Competition has revealed its judging panel for its 2024 edition. Returning for a third-year running is Christopher Köerber, Managing Director of Hugo Boss Ticino, who will be joined by an exciting cast of industry professionals including renowned celebrity stylist Mike Adler, Matteo Mastrotto, CEO of leading international leather supplier Rino Mastrotto, 2022 footwear category winner Anna Melegh (now with Christian Louboutin) and Fashion Education Consultant Adrien Yakimov Roberts.

Developed by LHCA, Real Leather. Stay Different (RLSD) celebrates talented young designers utilising leather as a natural alternative to fast fashion. The competition is open to current students and recent graduates (2022 + 2023). Participants are encouraged to create a bespoke leather item using 50% or more cattle-hide leather that falls into one of three categories: clothing, footwear, or accessory. These items should be designed not only to last, but to be cherished for a lifetime.

Addressing the pressing issue of fast fashion's environmental impact, participants are encouraged to use natural materials. With an alarming 132 million hides wasted worldwide annually, there's a critical need to shift towards a more circular approach. By repurposing by-products from the meat and dairy industries, leather production actively reduces waste, preventing millions of tonnes of hides from entering landfills every year - and directly preventing the release of CO2 and other harmful emissions.

Kerry Brozyna, President of the Leather and Hide Council of America, expressed his enthusiasm about the judging panel, stating:

“We’re delighted to have assembled such a distinguished panel of judges for this year’s competition. The continued support of Christopher Koerber from Hugo Boss is invaluable to us, reflecting his deep commitment to innovation and mentoring in the fashion industry. The insights provided by Mike Adler and his crowd-friendly delivery bring a unique perspective about style and trends.”

“We’re excited to welcome Adrien Yakimov Roberts, whose expertise in fashion education will undoubtedly inspire and guide our participants. Additionally, it's a pleasure to see Anna Melegh return, now thriving in her career at Christian Louboutin, which underscores the impact and opportunities this competition provides for young designers. We look forward to seeing the incredible designs that will emerge from this year's entries."

All winning designs will be included in a capsule collection showcased at the live competition final hosted at the U.S. Embassy in London on 23 September 2024. The competition closed for entries on 30 June 2024, with the shortlisting process now underway. Category winners will be revealed shortly.

To date the campaign, active globally with regional promotions in markets such as China Mainland, Italy, the Nordics region (five countries), the Philippines, Taiwan region and 10 countries in Africa in partnership with ALLPI, has engaged hundreds of millions of consumers. Thousands of fashion and design students from 245 universities across more than 45 countries have participated in the campaign, with its social media programme delivering hundreds of thousands of engagements annually. – Visit https://chooserealleather.com/ for more information