Awards 2022

The Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards 2022 is open for entries. You do not have to submit garments nor prepare a portfolio: you need to simply fill in an entry form for your chosen category. Country Road has made possible a prize of R100 000.00 for the Changemaker winner. The winner of the Nicholas Coutts Award receives R10 000 from Nicholas’ family. All category winners receive an assessment from Eco Standard South Africa.

Read the criteria and categories, and download the appropriate form which you’ll find in the category section below. Once you’ve completed your entry form send it to awards@twyg.co.za. The deadline is 11 October 2022 Friday 14 October 2022.

Criteria

Please ensure you understand the awards criteria and choose your category carefully, as we’re only accepting one entry per brand/designer.

Winners of the Awards 2021 may not apply for 2022.

Submissions will be judged against the criteria for each category (see below) and will be rated between 1 and 5 for the sections detailed in the entry forms. We expect candidates to be able to demonstrate:

• Finished, quality fashion garments, accessories and/or collections;
• Ethical labour practices;
• Transparency in design and manufacturing practices and sourcing of materials;
• The extent to which materials have been sustainably sourced;
• Besides the student category, designers, businesses or brands should have been operating for at least 2 years, and should have made new garments/collections in the last 12 months and before September 2022;
• The awards are open to designers living in South Africa.

Categories 2022

Student Award presented by Levi’s®

This award will go to a student who has produced a garment or collection that addresses the challenges of sustainability in the most exciting and beautiful way. The assessment will look for creativity and innovation and will recognise that student designers have the freedom to challenge fashion’s status quo. We expect students to task fashion with environmental and social responsibilities in a playful and creative way.

Accessory Award

This award recognises an accessory brand that implements ethical labour practices, limits toxic chemicals and uses sustainable materials to create a quality item and considers end-of-life. Ideally, it should be locally sourced materials and/or recyclable or recycled materials. The quality, durability, creativity and innovative design of the nominated brands will be assessed.

Innovative Design and Materials Award presented by POLO South Africa

This award seeks to recognise a designer who has used innovative techniques to reduce fashion’s negative impact. For instance, this designer could be minimising textile waste through creative pattern cutting using pre- and post-consumer fabric waste, and/or reconstruction techniques. If the innovative approach is not original, the innovation being adopted should be acknowledged. The award also seeks to recognise a commitment to using sustainable fabrics.

Trans-seasonal Award

This award recognises a collection, garment or brand that promotes trans-seasonal, multi-functionality and versatile style. It rewards quality design that aspires to be timeless and is made to last, i.e. design that transcends seasons and trends. This category also recognises brands that remain invested in garments after their sale, for example, through the provision of lifetime guarantees and repair services.

Nicholas Coutts Award

This award honours the talented young designer Nicolas Coutts. Nicholas, who beautifully used and explored traditional crafts and techniques in his design, tragically lost his life at the beginning of 2019. This award recognises a designer who uses artisanal craft techniques such as weaving, embroidery or botanical dyeing to make fashion that foregrounds, celebrates and values the skills of the people who make the garments. Craftsmanship is a living example of slow-paced, resource-mindful and socially-sustainable production.

Retail Award

This award recognises a retailer or retailing initiative that enhances sustainability, including pre-loved/gently worn, swap shops, garment rental, and similar activities. The award is also open to retailers who support local producers and sustainable design and manufacturing.

Influencer Award

This award recognises a personality or think-fluencer who has actively promoted slow, sustainable fashion over the last 12 months and who has sparked relevant conversations. This person has also explained sustainable issues factually and has cautioned against harming nature on social media and other platforms. The influencer supports conscious local brands while promoting these 5Rs (reduce, repair, refashion, reuse, recycle). The judges will also look at how the fashion content intersects with issues such as race, diversity, inclusion and body positivity.

CMT and Manufacturer Award

This award will be presented to a ‘cut, make and trim’ factory or manufacturer of clothes or accessories that is socially and environmentally conscious and/or whose business practices are socially and environmentally responsible. Nominations are open to ethical CMTs and manufacturers who are reducing their impact on the environment. Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. Twyg celebrates organisations that respect its employees and practices fair employment.

Textile Makers and Mills Award

Preferred local fabrics are a key ingredient for sustainable fashion. Sourcing textiles is one of the great challenges for designers who are adopting more sustainable practices. As such, we’ve introduced this category to celebrate and encourage South African textile makers and mills to use natural, regenerative fibres, non-toxic dyes and finishes, and closed-loop systems. This award is open to established companies, SMMEs and independent creatives.

Changemaker Award presented by Country Road

The winners with the highest scores in the design categories (Student, Accessory, Trans-seasonal, Coutts, Innovative Design and Materials Award) will be judged against the criteria set for the Changemaker Award. This award recognises a designer whose career has embraced sustainable and circular design practices. The recipient’s collection/s will have helped raise awareness of environmental and social issues. This designer demonstrates a commitment to promoting slow consumer fashion habits. This category is not open to nominations. Country Road has made possible a prize of R100 000.00 for the Changemaker winner.

Please email jackie@twyg.co.za if you have any queries.
Nominations close on 11 October 2022.