BRITISH STUDENT WINS RLSD 2025 INTERNATIONAL FASHION AWARDS IN 5TH YEAR

Jamie Unlu O’Grady’s ‘SubTraction’ takes title in face of strong competition from Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Palestinian and Italian finalists

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, October 29, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- BRITISH STUDENT WINS RLSD 2025 INTERNATIONAL FASHION AWARDS IN 5TH YEAR
- Jamie Unlu O’Grady’s ‘SubTraction’ takes title in face of strong competition from Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Palestinian and Italian finalists
- Winner’s ambition to take ground-breaking modular design to market
- Judges applaud true innovation, ecological focus and commercial mindset

At an awards ceremony held last night (28 October) at Taiwan’s Taipei 101 for the Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) 2025 International Student Design Competition, judges crowned Jamie Unlu O’Grady, from the UK’s De Montfort University, as the competition’s “Overall Winner 2025”. O’Grady’s modular footwear design SubTraction captivated judges with its blend of innovation, sustainability and design integrity. Collecting his trophy Jamie said:

“RLSD gave me the platform to test a radical concept in front of some of the fashion industry's most respected voices. The next step is to explore funding opportunities to support the development of SubTraction and see how far it can go.”

The judging panel included Christopher Koerber, Managing Director, Hugo Boss Ticino, Adrien Roberts, fashion education expert, Mike Alder, celebrity stylist, Yu Lee李瑜, fashion influencer and Kora Hsieh, Editor in Chief of Harper’s BAZAAR Taiwan who commented:

“Jamie has taken his submission to a phenomenal point. What impressed the judges most was his commitment to true innovation, with design philosophy at the heart of his thinking. He hasn’t fallen into the trap of chasing fashion trends. Every design choice was deliberate and reasoned - a very thorough, well thought-out concept that has huge potential for commercialisation. Even the inclusion of a logo on the shoe spoke volumes about his professional foresight.”

Jamie added: “My dream is to take it from concept to product - something that can live in the real world and actually change how people buy, wear and sustain their shoes.”

He was joined on stage by international finalists Sara Jacqueline Morandini (Accessories, Italy), Lan Anh Nguyễn (People’s Choice, Vietnam) and Islam Nashef (Apparel, Jerusalem), who showcased design concepts exploring themes from psychological protection to primal forces of nature and ecological resilience. They were accompanied by Wu Jo I, winner of the RLSD Taiwan regional competition, as the host country representative.

Sara Jacqueline Morandini was highly commended for her unisex collection Ombrage, which judges called “comprehensive, well researched and highly technical.”

“Being part of RLSD has been an extraordinary experience,” said Sara “I’ve had the chance to connect with other designers who are just as passionate about sustainability and craftsmanship. This recognition motivates me to keep pushing my design language forward - my goal is to establish myself as an independent designer whose work bridges concept and wearability.”

Kerry Brozyna, President of the Leather & Hide Council of America - which funds the programme - congratulated all finalists; “This competition is about more than aesthetics. It’s about equipping young designers to challenge fast fashion, and reimagine the way we design and manufacture to support sustainability. Every one of our finalists is a winner in their own right - they represent the next generation of talent who will redefine responsible design using sustainable, natural fibres rather than environmentally polluting petroleum-based synthetics.”

Jamie’s winning design will now feature in the RLSD Capsule Collection, along with all the other international category winners, that is showcased at fashion and sustainability events around the world. RLSD, now in its fifth year, continues to grow as a global platform for student designers, this year receiving nearly 1500 entries from mor e than 75 design institutions worldwide.

The Taipei final follows standout finals in London and Milan, highlighting the continued impact the competition is having encouraging fashion design students to chose design-led sustainability over disposable, environmentally damaging, petroleum-based, plastic fibres. For more information, visit: www.chooserealleather.com

-ENDS-

Notes to editor:
Meet the RLSD 2025 International Overall & Highly Commended Winners

i). Overall Winner: Jamie Unlu O’Grady (De Montfort University, UK). Design title: SubTraction (Footwear)
SubTraction reimagines footwear as a modular system – personal, purposeful and circular. Bold in its rejection of convention, the project channels Dieter Rams’ principles into a language of simplicity and endurance. Laser-cut cowhide becomes both material and metaphor: durable yet adaptable, it speaks to longevity and renewal. Components assemble without glue or stitching, allowing parts to be replaced, interchanged, or biodegraded independently. Function meets imagination - uppers shifting with climate, palettes evolving with taste, soles adapting to terrain.

“These shoes can last a lifetime. Something breaks? Replace it with a new part. Your taste changes? Swap out the shapes, colours, and materials. Move to the top of a mountain? Put on a waterproof upper and grippy sole.” (Jamie Unlu O’Grady)

ii). Highly Commended: Sara Jacqueline Morandini (Accademia Costume & Moda, Italy). Design title: Ombrage (Accessories)
Ombrage is a unisex collection of leather goods, footwear and jewellery inspired by the primal forces of nature - water, air, earth and fire. Exploring instinct, duality and the shadows within, it draws on material experimentation with wood and leather and a handwoven technique to create raw, ancestral forms. The collection embraces contrast, capturing the tension between light and dark to reflect the journey towards self-awareness.

“Ombrage is a men's and women's Leather Goods, Footwear and Jewellery collection born from a curiosity to explore and observe everything we tend to overlook or hide.” (Sara Jacqueline Morandini)

iii). Find out more about all the RLSD International Student Design Competition 2025 category winners visit: https://chooserealleather.com/international-competition/

Greg Moore
gt&i Limited
+44 7748 968695
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