An Israeli design student takes top honors at the international sustainable fashion contest hosted in Thailand.
The concluding ceremony and fashion show for the Real Leather Stay Different International Student Design Competition took place at Bangkok’s Jim Thompson House. The event, designed to encourage eco-conscious practices within the next generation of creatives, attracted submissions from fashion schools across the globe. Israeli participant Tal Zohar, representing Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, earned the premier award with her series ‘Neo-Heritage Tennis Club’. Her work blends visual cues from the 1920s and 1970s, translating court markings and color schemes into contemporary athletic apparel. The lineup featured a leather outerwear piece quilted to resemble racquet mesh, paired with a pleated skirt sourced exclusively from organic components. Complementary items included a protective headpiece and a carry-all constructed from hide.
Judging and Industry Support
The contest is sponsored by the UK digital platform Arts Thread alongside the US Leather and Hide Council of America. Participants must ensure their submissions contain at least half bovine leather alongside other organic components. Zohar explained the core directive: “The brief challenges designers to think about a more sustainable future for fashion asking us to work only with leather and natural materials,” She noted that the fabric’s resilience and the rise of active-wear trends inspired her focus on the evolution of women’s athletic skirts.
Industry experts emphasized the balance between artistic innovation and retail viability. Christopher Koerber, a Hugo Boss Ticino executive who sat on the evaluation committee, praised the winner’s approach. “Tal’s work is what this competition is about; stunning design, commercial application and sustainable delivery. No plastics, no untried materials, just a showcase for slow style that is at home at the sports club as it is on the catwalk.”
LHCA head Kerry Brozyna stressed how the sector repurposes millions of hides generated by the meat and dairy industries, preventing them from entering waste streams. Brozyna also noted that equipping new designers with hands-on material knowledge is essential to dispel inaccurate claims about natural textiles. The review board included representatives from Interhides Public Company Limited, Asava Group, New Balance, and Accademia Costume & Moda, alongside Koerber.