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Making Sustainable fashion is a hot topic, and the environmental NGO Redress is doing its part to put Hong Kong at the centre of the eco-fashion world with their annual EcoChic Design Award.
Every year, this competition showcases young talents who put sustainability first when it comes to their beautiful designs.
Recording with Hannah Lane at the Redress office in Hong Kong
10 for 10 – A decade of meaningful work
Redress has just celebrated 10 years fighting waste in the fashion industry. A cause for celebration is also their consistent commitment to organising the annual EcoChic Design Award that aims to inspire a new generation of designers to take action and make fashion more sustainable.
Each year, ten global finalists battle it out with sustainable reconstruction challenges and with their own collections on the Hong Kong runway. This September, Britain’s Kate Morris won the award with her gorgeous knit collection.
Kate Morris wins EcoChic Design Award 2017 with her sustainable knit collection. Photo Credit: Redress.
Meet Hannah Lane
In this episode you meet Hannah Lane, Communications and Sponsorship Director at Redress and one of the forces behind the EcoChic Design Award, to find out what you can do to make your wardrobe more sustainable.
A cartoon that influenced everything
Hannah found her way to Redress while she was living in Shanghai eight years ago. But her passion for environmental issues goes back to her childhood and a cartoon she used to watch as a little girl. When you hear the heartwarming story of why this cartoon moved her you will quickly understand that it was inevitable, she was meant to start working in sustainability.
It was not easy, but she never regretted the career path she took. For years she has been trying hard to convince brands to come on board and support Redress’s vision for more responsibility and sustainability in the fashion industry. Today she sees her hard work paying off.
“I have been fighting for years. Things are really shifting. I am seeing a massive change in the last couple of years that is driving us forward.”
Hannah shares why the first EcoChic Design Award graduates put a tear in her eye and how this educational award series has evolved in the last few years, with this year’s cycle counting applicants from 46 countries and next year’s competition opening for applications from all over the world for the very first time.
Get in touch with Redress if you want to start dressing with sense. Photo Credit: Redress
“Dress with sense” – not just a book but a way of life
The EcoChic Design Award is just one of the many projects that Redress is driving to educate people on how to become conscious consumers. Earlier this year Hannah, together with Redress Founder Christina Dean and Sofia Tärneberg authored “Dress with Sense – The Practical Guide to a Conscious Closet.”
They wrote this book – a true labour of love – to appeal to the everyday consumer, introducing simple tricks and tips on how to buy, wear, care and dispose of clothes in a more sustainable way. They wanted to create something light and beautiful that anyone would be excited about picking up.
“It was really difficult to resist going deeper. We wanted to engage the masses with the small things they could do to start stepping into sustainable consumption.”
It is all about consciousness, and you can get active by doing something as simple as a wardrobe review, Hannah shares. You will be surprised by how many clothes you own that are just sitting in your closet. You can restyle them or give them to a friend that will use them so that they don’t go to waste.
Expanding and Growing
The beauty of working with a British publisher, Hannah shares, was the chance to reach a new market in Europe. The book has also been translated into French. But it does not stop in Europe. The Korean version will hit stores later this year.
“The impact of it (the book) is spreading around the world.”
Making real change
She shares what it takes to work in a passion role and how frustrating it can be to attract sponsors and business alliances when it’s not necessarily their passion. She talks about cancelled meetings and years of negotiations.
Don’t let it weigh you down. Things work out in the end even if you have a lot of hurdles to climb over. Share on X
Get redressed: Everyone can join the movement. Photo Credit: Redress.
What keeps her going is the impact that her work with Redress is making, a fulfilment that means much more than just monetary compensation.
It's all about making real change, says Hannah Lane @Redress_Asia Share on X
Recharge – avoid the change-maker burnout
She points out how important it is to switch off at times and recharge even if she is often struggling to do just that. But she has some tips on how she manages to let go and why it is so important to do so.
“I feel so guilty when I relax.”
#impact Podcast live recording with Redress Founder Christina Dean. Listen to the interview here.
#impACT
- Get “Dress with Sense – A Practical Guide to a Conscious Closet” to learn how you can make your wardrobe more sustainable. How? Get in touch with Redress at info@redress.com.hk if you are in Hong Kong or buy it on Amazon.
- Listen to our interview with Redress Founder Christina Dean here to find out why she was crazy enough to start this NGO 10 years ago.
- Watch the Redress documentary Frontline Fashion here. Frontline Fashion is a documentary following 10 talented Asian and European emerging fashion designers determined to change the future of fashion – currently one of the most polluting industries – for the better in the world’s biggest sustainable fashion design competition, The EcoChic Design Award.
- If you are a parent, you can research platforms to resell and upcycle your children’s clothes. Here in Hong Kong Retykle is offering a beautiful and easy to use platform to do just that. Find out why Sarah Garner started this business for conscious consumers. Keep reading here.
