Winner of Future of Denim Branding competition named

Stefanie Tschirky from Royal College of Art has been named as the winner of Arts Thread and Avery Dennison Retail Branding & Information Solutions (RBIS) Future of Denim Branding competition, a contest designed to challenge how the fashion industry thinks about denim.

Tschirky was selected from a shortlist of 11 design students from around the world and won over an expert panel of judges including Kristina Szasz, denim design director of Karl by Karl Lagerfeld and Jonathan Cheung, senior vice president at Levi’s to win the competition.

Her winning project, ‘Your Story – Your Denim’, examined the origin story of denim before it is bought by consumers, and her denim collection features details including the name of the seamstress who fashioned the jeans, and a sealed test glass containing fibre from the cotton of the jeans, transforming the jeans from a mass produced item to one that shows its background and craft.

RBIS names Future of Denim winner

“Building a brand is one of the most challenging and satisfying things a designer will do in their career,” said Cheung. “The ability to portray the brand’s character at a glance is a fundamental skill. It was great to see how all the entrants endeavoured to tie emotional content to their branding and to see sustainability and social responsibility play an increasing role in defining a brand’s values. I’m delighted for Stefanie’s win and congratulate all the entrants for their work.”

As the winner, Tschirky will have the opportunity to bring her design and branding to life through an internship with the Avery Dennison RBIS creative team in London as well as Los Angeles, where the company houses its 15,000 square-foot Customer Design and Innovation Center (CDIC). During the internship, she will develop and witness her designs travel through the production process - from artwork to sampling to the finished product on a pair of jeans, supported by our manufacturing partner, Hirdaramani Group.

“I'm excited to win this competition for a number of reasons,” said Tschirky. “From the internship, to developing my denim branding concept even further, to gaining the opportunity to learn more about the innovation at Avery Dennison RBIS, to an exciting trip to LA! It's an amazing chance and I still can't believe the panel of judges selected my denim branding concept.”