PANGAIA and Fashion District announce the winner of the Design Futures Innovation Prize

Fashion District and PANGAIA announced the Graysha Audren as the winner of Design Futures 2022 at an Awards Supper at The Conduit in Covent Garden last night.

The material science brand PANGAIA, along with the London College of Fashion were inspired by the ticking time bomb of the climate crisis to seek and challenge designers to develop ways to help longevity, zero waste, material cyclability, and regeneration of materials.

Shailja Dube, Institute of Positive Fashion Lead, British Fashion Council commented: “By disrupting the status quo and future-thinking the circular design needs of the industry, the designers have produced innovations that challenge mainstream fashion systems”.

Graysha Audren won the prize for Weffan x Liquid Edition. Audren made a low-waste outfit that was woven to create each 3D piece. PANGAIA donated a cash prize of £15,000 to Weffan x Liquid Editions as well as ten consultancy hours with the brand.

Craig Smith, Research and Development Director of PANGAIA, said: “PANGAIA is delighted to support the Design Futures 2022 winning designers. In trying to find solutions to our industry's challenges it's important for us to collaborate and connect with creatives at various stages of the commercialisation journey. The design futures prize is a great showcase of early-stage approaches to circular design and each of the winners has the potential to make a real difference in the fashion industry with their innovations."

Out of the nine shortlisted designers, the runners-up were Osmose Studio, creators of a new restorative production model, and Nicci James, who engineered wool in a way her garments didn’t require linings or interfacings. All nine were judged on their creativity, originality, and circular design thinking as well as the ability for their product to be marketed and scaled. The winners were selected by a panel consisting of high-profile, leading sustainability and fashion experts including Craig Smith, Selfridges, Phoebe English, and more.