The 1st edition of World Leather Contest, done in 2019, had 800 participants from 25 universities in many countries. Thank to the partnership with UNIC – Italian Tanneries and Lineapelle, the 2020 edition also received 80 candidacies from student of three universities in Italy.
Specifically, they are students from the Istituto Marangoni in Milan for the clothing section, Polimoda di Firence for footwear and Accademia Costume & Moda in Rome for leather goods.
World Leather Contest
Created and launched by LHCA, US association representing traders and tanners, the theme of the contest is “Real Leather. Stay Different”, which consists of all participants creating unique and innovative accessories made exclusively with leather, to which other natural materials may be added.
The aim is to explore new stylistic and application fields of leather within 3 product categories, by giving voice, space and visibility to the ideas of the creative people of the near future. And, first of all, to offer new generations technical and cultural tools in order to understand and explore the identity and value of leather.
Italy’s candidates
Of course, the contest’s 2020 edition was influenced by the Coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to the collaboration of UNIC – Italian Tanneries and Lineapelle, the WORLD LEATHER CONTEST was launched in Italy in January 2020. Goal of showcasing and make students understand the value of the material, its possible uses and the many possible finished goods that can be made with it.
With regards to the practical aspects, the contest has had to adapt to the global health emergency, and thus had to adapt to be managed differently, digitally and with social distance.
The evaluation of all the students’ creations will be done online, and should end in the next few weeks. The later phases are still being defined on the basis of developments, but they include the collection of raw material, distribution to students and the actual making of the prototypes.
These steps will be followed by the final evaluation to determine the winners and the consequent showcasing of the latter during this upcoming edition of Lineapelle.
The value of Italy’s collaboration
“Promoting and spreading knowledge about leather among young people and, in particular, among young people who are entering the world of fashion and design is a goal that UNIC – Italian Tanneries has pursued with strong determination for years. – comments Fulvia Bacchi, UNIC’s General Manager.
“It is therefore with enthusiasm that we have joined the Real Leather. Stay Different design competition, which involves 4 countries/regions (USA, Great Britain, China and Taiwan via their respective associations).
All together we can achieve better and more effective results. The beauty and charm of leather are not second to its intrinsic and sustainable qualities. They must be an integral part of the cultural background of those who work with this material and choose it in their consumption.”
US enthusiasm
“We are committed to promoting best practice in quality leather production.” – comments LHCA President Stephen Sothmann -. And we are committed to supporting fresh talent, at a time when they need it most.
We are therefore delighted to announce the continuation of this unique competition.
It gives students with an interest in promoting style ahead of fast fashion the opportunity to innovate and inspire, using a natural and incredibly durable material. We would like to thank all participants in 2020 for their patience and look forward to the year ahead.”
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