Something from nothing
Young designers show their creativity in turning other people's rubbish into fashionable accessories in this year's Reco Competition
YOUNG THAI designers once again showed their passion for recycled materials, with 200 entries from all around the country pouring in for the 2016 edition of the Reco Young Designer Competition. Organised by Indorama Ventures, the annual contest has as its concept “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”, and this year was held on the theme ‘Life is Play, Show Your Passion’.
After much soul-searching by a panel of judges who included Jarupatara Archawasmith, a lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang; Asst Prof Singh Intrachooto, head of the Building Innovation and Technology Programme at Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Architecture; Apiwat Yosprapan, Praew magazine’s style editor Chaiyong Ratana-angkura, of Wallpaper Magazine; and freelance artist Narita Lert-utsahakul, the 200 entries were whittled down to 30.
These selected candidates were then invited to attend an exclusive eco-design workshop led by professionals in the design industry, along with a successful brand manager who gave practical business advice. A final 20 were selected to work more closely with project mentors and these advised the finalists throughout the project to maximise design potential and teach production techniques.
The winning prize in the fashion design category went to Wannakorn Oonvised, a freelance designer who was inspired by pyrotechnics. His “Fire Power” dress, made using recycled x-ray film, displayed vivid colours on a dark background depicting fireworks sparkling in the sky.
Suphavinee Jaikwang, a sophomore student at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, picked up the top prize in the product design category for her Jewellery Hot Stone collection made from recycled PET bottles. Based on the principle of Zen, her jewellery portrayed a sense of calm but with an underlying toughness.
All designs for the Reco competition were made using at least 60-per-cent recycled PET and polyester. Each offered an example of the potential for waste to be used in creating sophisticated items that also serve a practical purpose, surpassing normal expectations.
“This project aims to raise awareness on how we can use PET and polyester waste to create wonderful designs. For this, our fifth competition, we were delighted to see such good feedback from aspiring designers who are keen to know more about recycling and making designs to save the environment,” said Richard Jones, vice president of Indorama Ventures.
The winners of the two categories took home Bt100,000 each, while the first and second runners up received Bt30,000 and Bt20,000 respectively. This year, a new reward for young fashion designers called “Indorama Ventures’ Favourite” was introduced to recognise outstanding design for practical everyday clothing.
- The works of all the Reco finalists are on show at the Hof Art Gallery, 2nd floor, W District (BTS Prakanong) through Monday.
- Find out more at www.IndoramaVentures.com and Facebook.com/recoyoungdesigner.
