Hong Kong fashion NGO’s documentary shows progress on sustainability
Film by Redress follows young designers as they prepare entries for world’s biggest sustainable-fashion design contest, the Hong Kong-hosted EcoChic Design Award
Did you know that fashion is the second-most polluting industry in the world or that 293 tonnes of textiles are dumped each year in Hong Kong alone? These are just a few of the facts addressed in Frontline Fashion, a new documentary released by Hong Kong-based fashion NGO Redress.
“Tomorrow’s leaders have a new design palette; they are being creative and caring about their designs’ environmental impact. We wanted to tell this story because among all the fashion industry’s bad news there is positive change. We’ve seen this firsthand and this story needs to be told,” says Redress founder and board chair Christina Dean, who has a major role in the documentary.
Although the film had been fermenting in Dean’s mind for more than six years, it was a chance meeting with local producers Mustard that brought it to life. Filmed over a 10-day period during Redress’ annual EcoChic Design Award Competition, which also happens to be the world’s biggest sustainable fashion design competition, the film follows 10 young designers who are hoping to make a change not only in their own lives but the world at large.
Hong Kong Ecochic Design Awards reward sustainability - the future of fashion
The filmmakers shadow the group in the days leading up to the finals, as they embark on various design challenges and workshops including rummaging through discarded clothing at a warehouse in the New Territories, which they are then tasked with reconstructing into modern, wearable pieces. Later, they head across the border to Dongguan and go behind the scenes at TAL, one of China’s biggest shirt manufacturers and leaders in sustainable working practises.
“We wanted to illustrate what these passionate and talented designers go through to innovate as they put their ethical values on their sleeves during their journey, which starts at their homes as they create their competition collections, to when they come to Hong Kong to uncover their collections to the world,” says Dean.