Patrycja Guzik is crowned the winner of the 2015/2016 EcoChic Design Award

Polish designer Patrycja Guzik has been named the winner of the 2015/2016 cycle of the annual EcoChic Design Award after the grand finale fashion show, which took place on Wednesday night during Hong Kong Fashion Week.

The annual competition, developed and organized by NGO Redress, is the world's largest sustainable design competition for emerging students in Europe and Asia. Guzik was selected as the first prize winner from a group of ten finalists hailing from seven countries, including the UK, Poland and China.

"This week has been life changing and a real eye-opener for me that us designers can really design the future we want," said Guzik on her experience with EcoChic. "Winning amplifies everything I've dreamt of about using my passions to prove that a more sustainable fashion industry can be a reality."

Her winning collection was inspired by the saying 'Heaven as a place on earth' and consisted of two sustainable design techniques. She combined up-cycling and reconstruction design techniques by hand-weaving damaged textiles and unravelled second-hand garments, which she sourced from fabric wholesalers and second hand stores in Krakow.

"To me sustainable fashion means living in balance," said Guzik on her collection. "We need to slow down consumption and stop creating new, new, new. We need to change our thinking around clothes and more designers need to show consumers that we are able to make beautiful clothes using old clothes and damaged textiles."

As the winner of the EcoChic 2015/2016 cycle Guzik will spend three months in Hong Kong designing an up-cycle collection for Shanghai Tang, a luxury retailer, using their surplus textiles as well as a year long subscription to Bloomsbury Fashion Central. Second place went to Cora Maria Bellotto, who will receive a tailored mentorship program to help propel her career forward.

In addition to winning this year's cycle, Guzik was also awarded the Special Award, which will see the young designer create a sustainable outfit for supermodel Janet Ma, which will be worn to a public event.