The 6th annual Ravensbourne University London denim innovation project was held online last week in partnership with Kingpins and Transformers Foundation. It was attended by some of the fashion’s youngest, most innovative minds and featured the works of second-year B.A. honors students. The task of the competition was to design a denim collection from concept to finished garments, branding and showcase them in a virtual mock trade show setup. 10 weeks time was allotted for the whole process and sustainability was the main focus of this year as it is becoming an essential part of brands and consumers.

The collections were judged by a panel consisting of 38 industry specialists from various fields such as mills, media, denim supply chain and trade show organization. Categories such as best design, best use of sponsored fabric and treatments, best approaches to sustainability, best collaboration, most market-ready, and best marketing and/or social media campaign were used to select the winners.

Mohsin Sajid, designer and educator said that he is impressed each year by the professionalism level shown by the students. And it's very impressive that most of the projects are ready to go to market straight away.

By winning two awards for best use of sponsored fabric and treatments, and most market-ready, the big winner of the day was Epicenity. The collection featured luxury denim that challenged the notions of gender-specific clothing while remaining ethical and sustainable and was sponsored by Candiani. 

A line that combined formalwear with classic silhouettes and embraced the “relaxed masculine” and the “authoritarian female, Neo No No won the best design collection. Prosperity Denim provided the fabrics which were used by the group.

The best approach to sustainability was won by Decura. The artisanal denim collection was sponsored by Orta and focused on features such as “innovative, practical and long-lasting.

362, sponsored by U.K.-based Hewitt Heritage Fabrics won the award for best marketing and/or social media campaign. They are the British men’s wear brand that focuses on sustainable cotton with multifunctional waterproof nylon coverings. 

And the last award for best collaboration for its sustainable designs and commitment to transparency was given to Marina Denim which was sponsored by Artistic Fabric Mills and Jeanologia. Their main focus was on including the QR code so that the consumers are educated about the garment’s journey through the supply chain.

All the groups were sponsored by various denim mills such as 496 Fabric Lab, Artistic Milliners, Crafil, Crescent Bahuman, Naveena Denim Ltd, Neela, Jeanologia, Kurabo, Arvind, Bossa, Orta, Prosperity Denim, Anubha, Artistic Fabrics Mills, Cone Denim, Hewitt Heritage Fabrics, Tencel/Lenzing, Medike Landes and YKK which provided the sustainable fabrics while the students were mentored by Sajid, along with Denim Forum founder Sue Barrett.