The SDC is delighted to announce our SDC International Design Competition winner and runner up after many months of heats across the globe.
Amy Kerr from National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland, is our overall winner. The runner-up is Chawakorn Tongprasri of Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep, Thailand.
Amy wins a certificate, and a beautiful blanket from Abraham Moon, one of the last remaining vertical woollen mills in Great Britain, which has a reputation for quality and innovative design.
Chawakorn receives a certificate and one year’s free online membership. Both will also receive publicity from the SDC to give their unfolding careers a well-deserved boost.
Amy said: “I’m over the moon! Thank you to my tutors, and the SDC, and everyone who voted for me. I would like to congratulate all the other winners, whose work is amazing.”
In a fascinating talk about his creative career so far, Wayne Hemingway said: “Whatever you are designing, it will work if you do it for the people who are going to be the end users, it’s never just for ourselves. If that were the case it would cease to be design, it would just be art.”
He outlined his early days in London, pioneering the sale of vintage clothing – in an early example of the circular economy in action – and setting up Hemingway Design.
Wayne explained the company ethos of taking on sustainable, equitable work, always with societal impact. He recounted the tabloid uproar of his brand Red or Dead manufacturing workwear in prisons, with hemp, and choosing diverse and body-positive catwalk models – the type of projects that would be lauded today.
He said: “We knew we were doing the right thing and we got lots of negative publicity, and so much stick, but we didn’t care.”
Wayne’s more recent successes have involved collaborating with London Underground workers to design new uniforms – complete with matching headscarves – that featured on the cover of Vogue magazine.
The grand final judges were fashion designers Afsana Ferdousi and Grace Nandar, as well as ethical designer and consultant, Martha Kellerhals.
At the event, hosted by SDC President, John Hansford, Martha praised Amy’s fusion of 3D and digital design with traditional hand weaving, and the sensory qualities of her work.
Chawakorn was applauded for engaging with community members and trying new techniques such as batik in hand weaving and printing.
Guests from across the globe, including national finalists and their tutors, joined the joyous event, hailed by John as the SDC’s most positive happenings of the last few months. Thanking all involved, he said: “All our finalists are winners, and have been extremely successful. Without the universities and the students, the design competition would not take place.”
The overall theme of the competition was Colour and the Universe.
Additional thanks must go to our co-ordinators all over the world. They include Yogesh Gaikwad in India, Paul Santokhi in Ireland, Wiwat Hirunpruk in Thailand, Dr Muhammad Mohsin in Pakistan, Dro Tan in Singapore and Sam Erahapola and Randika Hennadige in Sri Lanka.
01/12/2021