German designer Liesenfeld wins latest Redress Design Award

German designer Jon Liesenfeld has won the sustainability-based Redress Design Award 2026, “outdesigning” seven finalists from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, the UK, Austria, and Israel.

Redress, the Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO accelerating circular fashion, said the finalists’ runway collections were designed using circular techniques including factory surplus, discarded garments, excess new stock, and furnishings waste that “tackled the global textile waste crisis”.

Winner Liesenfeld said: “My generation of designers won’t be judged just on aesthetics. We must understand circularity – durability, repairability and recyclability – from the drawing board to fill the racks with what more consumers hope to buy. Coming into this wasteful fashion industry is intimidating and we must respond with courage.”

He wins an “educational journey” to British fashion businesses, including Simple Approach, which produces 50 million apparel pieces annually for brands including Primark and Next, and luxury womenswear brand Roksanda.

Following the grand final, the finalists’ collections will be on display at the Redress Design Award Exhibition across 13-30 October in Kowloon.

Lead sponsor, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency’s commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, Drew Lai, said: “We take great pride in the legacy of the Awards: over 350 alumni across more than 40 regions, many of whom have gone on to translate circular design principles into thriving, real-world practice — a clear testament to the Award’s wide-reaching impact.”

Redress founder Dr Christina Dean, added: “Circularity is flatlining despite circular textile business models being estimated to generate US$700 billion in economic value by 20304 and while clothing waste sky rockets, which will be exacerbated by global dominance of ultra fast fashion brands.

“Redress’ work to catalyse circular fashion is critical and our educational movement has reached millions of designers in almost 100 countries worldwide.”