Only Natural Design Competition winners visit the showcase at Material Matters London

Evelina Lavergren's “Biological Footprint”.

London, UK (15 September 2025) – The Only Natural International Student Design Competition 2025 has announced its 7 category winners.

The competition looks at the environmental crisis created by synthetic, non-biodegradable materials, championing organic alternatives including wool, hemp, wood and leather. In response to fast fashion and disposable design culture, the competition is open to student designers as the generation most capable of driving system-wide change through their careers. The finalists span continents and cultures representing 7 countries – the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Israel, India, Japan and New Zealand. 

Evelina Lavergren's “Biological Footprint”.

All share a common thread of technical innovation married with environmental consciousness. From Evelina Lavergren's “Biological Footprint” – a revolutionary seaweed-based footwear that disperses seeds while walking, to Yu Watanabe's “Symbiosis Garden” that fuses traditional Japanese urushi lacquer with cutting-edge mycelium biomaterials, the designers demonstrate sophistication in natural material application.

Mor Elfassy\'s \'Touch Wood\' womenswear.

Mor Elfassy's "Touch Wood" womenswear collection bridges tradition and innovation through leather weave-knitting techniques, while Le Phan Vu's "At Thresholds" dining table reimagines Vietnamese furniture traditions using locally harvested New Zealand Macrocarpa, built entirely without metal components. Other winners include Orla Reilly's "Along the Grain" jewellery collection transforming responsibly sourced cow horn into contemporary wearables, Bingbing Bai's "Eternal Vitality" accessories celebrating the artistry of Tuscan vegetable-tanned leather, and Sriya Reddy's "Swivel" table in natural cherry wood that responds to touch through subtle movement.

Sriya Reddy's 'Swivel' table.

Grant Gibson, design writer, founder of Material Matters and Only Natural judge, said: "We're witnessing a fundamental transformation in how emerging designers approach materials. The quality of work we've seen this year goes far beyond replacing synthetic with natural – these students are reimagining entire design processes around regenerative principles. It's exactly the kind of innovative thinking we want to platform at Material Matters London."

This year's competition attracted nearly 350 young designers, more than doubling participation from its inaugural year and adding over 550 designer profiles to its growing community of nature-first advocates.

Kerry Brozyna, President of the Leather & Hide Council of America, speaking on behalf of the competition's natural fibre partners added: "The natural fibres industry is energised by this level of student engagement. These designers aren't just using natural materials – they're pushing boundaries. When we see cow horn being transformed into contemporary jewellery or vegetable-tanned leather elevated to modern lifestyle accessories, we know the future of our industries is in capable hands."

Bingbing Bai\'s \'Eternal Vitality\' accessories.

Only Natural is backed by natural fibre trade bodies including the Leather & Hide Council of America, American Wool Council, American Hardwood Export Council, National Industrial Hemp Council, Mohair Council of America and American Softwoods. The competition works to inspire the switch to natural materials; and challenges fast fashion, and the material choices we make in the spaces where we live.  It asks us to consider impacts from water pollution and air contamination to depletion of natural resources and never-ending textile landfills.

Orla Reilly's 'Along the Grain' jewellery collection.

Explore all Only Natural winner profiles: onlynatural.internationaldesigncomp.com