Last week, the yearly Fashion Values Challenge came to a close at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen. After showcasing our six finalists at our exclusive Fashion Values event, the two winners (one student and one industry professional) were announced.

The Challenge finalists were assessed against four key criteria by the judging panel: relevance, originality, feasibility and sustainability impact and thinking. Misaki (industry winner) and Prakriti (student winner) were chosen as the winners by the judges as they felt their projects ranked highest against each of these categories. Both projects clearly engaged with the Challenge brief and demonstrated how their ideas would benefit society. They took a creative approach to the brief and clearly communicated the feasibility of their projects. A holistic understanding of fashion and sustainability was present in both projects, and sustainability impact was effectively considered. Carry on reading for a more detailed look at Misaki and Prakriti’s projects, and some insights from our judges on why they were most drawn to their ideas.

Student Winner: Prakriti Choubey - Avatirna

“I am incredibly honoured and thrilled to have won the Fashion Values award which is a remarkable opportunity to take our concept to a wider audience. This recognition emphasises the importance in telling the stories of artisans and preserving their crafts and reaffirms that our efforts to bridge the gap between traditional craftsmanship and the digital world are not only relevant but also valued within the fashion industry” – Prakriti Choubey.

Prakriti is a student at London College of Fashion studying MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Prakriti's concept ‘Avatirna’ (meaning ‘incarnated’ in the Sanskrit language) is a platform that embodies social change by disrupting the way current traditional crafts are seen and presents them in the virtual world. Avatirna offers customers a physical garment to wear, made with handcrafted fabric, alongside a digital NFT garment for the consumer’s avatar to wear in the future. This not only creates commercial opportunities for artisans, but offers them a platform to preserve traditional heritage crafts and have their skills recognised. Prakriti’s aim is to spark interest in these artisans and share stories of how they use their skills to create their garments.

Comments from our judges include:

“I just love the idea that the digital medium is only a tool to further the immortalisation of craft.” – Rachel Arthur, UNEP

“The value is the relationship with tradition and how it is brought back into play in garments reinvented in a contemporary key.” – Youwie Roes, Eyes on Talent

Industry Winner: Misaki Tanaka - SOLIT

“We are so excited to have won this award which will enable us to continue our mission to create new style options for many people who have not been able to enjoy fashion before. It recognises that not only is it possible to create clothing that is good for the planet, it can also be good for a diverse group of people, and we are so excited to be able to progress our concept further as pioneers in this space.” – Misaki Tanaka.

Based in Tokyo (Japan), Misaki is the founder of ‘SOLIT’. The brand provides an all-inclusive service which allows customers the freedom to choose what they really want to wear. Customers can customise garments on the website to suit their individual needs, giving people the power to decide how they want to wear their clothing. Through this personal approach, the brand prioritises human connection, encouraging individuals to participate more in fashion society than the current system.

Due to the issues surrounding the current fashion system such as climate change and sizing challenges, Misaki believes this presents a challenge for individuals to make informed decisions of what they really want to wear. Therefore, SOLIT is a direct response to this challenge. The brand is built upon a zero-waste policy and collaborates with social minorities from the planning stage to build confidence and add value.

Comments from our judges include:

“SOLIT is a business that has shown a clear commitment to making a positive impact on society, and their efforts are worthy of commendation.” – Yayra Agbofah, The Revival

“They have not only thought out the idea of bringing fashion to underserved body types, but they've researched it and executed a model for production that appears to be able to scale as they expand their reach and customer base.” – Karl Haller, IBM

This year’s Challenge has been an overall huge success, and we are delighted to have been able to see it out in style at the Global Fashion Summit. For more on the summit and the showcase event, why not head over to our social channels where we have lots more content on our activity and discussions. We will also be sharing insights from our Next Gen Assembly who attended the summit, so keep your eyes out for that.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to apply for this year’s Challenge and participated in any of the Fashion Values events. Your contribution and involvement is what allows us to develop the Fashion Values programme further, so we can continue to provide a platform for all changemakers in fashion. We are already excited for next year’s ‘Fashion Values Cultures’ Challenge and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more information on this soon!