FUTURE OCEANS DESIGN COMPETITION – Marine Debris Fashion
The Future Oceans Design Competition is an innovation challenge presented to international fashion designers by Victoria International Marina, in Victoria, BC, Canada. The Ocean Legacy Foundation, and Natural Talent Alliance. The mission of Future Oceans is to inspire hope and promote positive activism toward environmental conservation and recovery.
Download a PDF of these details: Future Oceans Design Competition v.2
“Five trillion individual pieces of plastic are estimated to be floating in our ocean. More than a million seabirds and over 100,000 marine mammals die every year from plastic. Small weathered micro-plastics are now found within digestive systems of sea life, birds and mammals globally. Over 220 million tons of plastic are produced each year, we must choose to reduce our need.” – www.oceanlegacy.ca
“Our journey is one of passion, purpose and action. The Oceans need our attention and we are answering with action led by a community of artists, backed by well-thought-out strategy and some of the smartest and most proactive people in the world. Our Designers and Ambassadors will help spread the truth about the health of our oceans while stimulating positive discussion on solving the issues that plague them. Communication is more powerful and effective when it comes from leaders, especially when told through the lens and in the vernacular of their professions.” – Craig Norris, CEO, Victoria International Marina
Join Future Oceans if you wish to support our efforts to raise awareness and join our community of thought leaders and creative influencers. In the pages to follow you will find the details of the competition.
Our inaugural show on July 1 at the Victoria International Marina, (Victoria, BC) will showcase the works of 10 outstanding Fashion Designers who exemplify the values set by the competition and meet the project guidelines. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2019 at 12:00am (MST). International submissions are welcome. Finalists will be notified on March 20.
An award of $1000 will be presented to the 10 Finalists upon the show’s completion. Finalists will participate in publicity shoots, media interviews, and receive invitations to tour their work in future international shows. The Future Oceans fashion collection will be documented by several of the world’s top photographers in photoshoots slated for July 2.
For more information about our partners and sponsors please follow our Facebook Page at VIM’s Future Oceans!
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Future Oceans is seeking fashion designers who are dedicated to the following values, as exemplified by Victoria International Marina, and the Pacific West Coast lifestyle:
- A respect for the environment and how all things are connected within it.
- A love of and connection to the ocean.
- A respect for First Nations culture.
- A love of adventure, exploration and discovery.
- Seeking positive health and wellness influences.
- Respect for wildlife.
Designers are challenged to create three fashion garments; a one of a kind wearable art piece featuring reclaimed ocean plastic, and two ready-to-wear garments using eco-friendly fabrics. Designers may submit up to 6 different designs for consideration into the show if they choose, however only 3 pieces will be selected for the runway.
MATERIALS
Ocean plastics for the wearable art works will be provided by the Ocean Legacy Foundation. A list of readily available reclaimed materials can be found on the following page. Additional materials will also be posted in an album on our Facebook page as more plastics are collected from the ocean. Designers are asked to choose 1-2 items to incorporate multiples of into their wearable art statement piece. A container of materials will be shipped to designers within 1-2 weeks of acceptance into the show. Additional materials are available upon request.
All three garments may be unique in design and materials however they must have a common unifying thread, constituting a cohesive fashion collection. Designers are invited to incorporate found objects, fabric and technology into their wearable art pieces if they so choose.
Garment 1 – Wearable art, featuring reclaimed ocean plastic
Garment 2 – Ready to wear, eco-friendly fabrics
Garment 3 – Ready to wear, eco-friendly fabrics
Professional Models and Hair and Makeup Artists will be provided for each designer by Natural Talent Alliance.
Reclaimed ocean plastics will be provided by the Ocean Legacy Foundation, and shipped to finalists at the end of March. Ocean plastic must be featured in at least one of the garments in the three-piece collection. Plastics may be manipulated, broken down further, melted, formed, cast or processed in any other creative way in order to achieve artistic results. Additional recycled plastic materials may be incorporated into the garment as well in order to make an artistic statement. Plastics commonly found along coastlines include: water bottles, plastic bags, dry-cleaning bags, tarps, bottle caps, plastic granules, plastic from buckets, and various types of netting to name a few. Please consider incorporating one or more of these items when designing your collections.
DESIGN SUBMISSIONS
A submission package has the following components:
1. Your name and contact information.
2. A 200 word (max) biography.
3. Your head shot.
4. Your company/brand name.
5. Your company/brand logo, JPEG format.
6. A 300 word (max) artist statement.
7. Links to your work or website.
8. 3 images of previous work.
9. A list of proposed materials.
10. A sketch of each piece in your collection, JPEG format.
Submissions must be received by 12:00am on March 15. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Finalists will be notified on March 20.
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Please direct inquiry’s to: info@naturaltalentalliance.com www.naturaltalentalliance.com