The first ever ‘Challenge the Fabric Award’ at the London Fashion Week Spring 2019 was bagged by the men’s wear designer Brandon Wen along with a handsome prize money of 30,000 euros. This award is an initiative of the paper and packaging company, Ekman & Co., along with the Swedish Fashion Council.
The aim of the award is to encourage the use of sustainable alternatives among emerging fashion designers and create awareness about informed fabric choices. The brief given to the competitors was exploration of the versatility of viscose and presentation of selected pieces from their brand lineups as well as new designs and garments made using the eco-friendly viscose fabric.
The Swedish Fashion Council commented on the success of the event by saying that they plan to continue with the CTF awards every year to encourage the notion of sustainability in the industry.
Using his grandmother’s Spanish roots as inspiration, Wen, said that his collection was an attempt to re-create the atmosphere of Spanish tradition in California. Thus, with the use of Spanish ceramics and garments as references and well researched exploration of a traditional costume from Burkina Faso, the final lineup, in Wen’s words was “a celebration of summer, heritage and life, which I think is what my grandmother Carmen is all about.”
He used the viscose till “its limits” as he braided, cut and “destroyed” the viscose while using all-natural dyes including vinegar. “It was practically cooking! One of the other things I worked on was using all of the scraps left over from cutting to create shoulder pads and reinforcement.”
