The annual Good Design Awards is Australia’s most prestigious international awards for design and innovation with a proud history dating back to 1958. Celebrating the best new products and services on the Australian market, the Awards include excellence in architectural design, engineering, fashion, digital and communication design, as well as emerging areas of design strategy, social impact and design entrepreneurship.
According to Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia, 'Australia’s Good Design Award is more than a symbol of design excellence; it represents the hard work and dedication towards an innovative outcome that will ultimately improve our quality of life. These projects and services showcase the brilliance of design and the potential it has to improve our world.'
I am honoured to have had The Fashion Advocate recognised for our long-standing commitment to ethical practices and our dedication to a better fashion future, and I am so very proud to be a 2019 Good Design Award Fashion Impact Winner.
This is not just a win for me, although I will say I am so damn proud of the business I’ve raised in The Fashion Advocate, but this is a win for slow fashion, and a win for our passionate, hardworking, committed and incredible community of fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands who get up every day to make the world a better place.
‘Good design’ is about the big picture; the impact, the people, the goodness. It’s what I wake up every day to do, working towards creating a positive impact, supporting the people who need it most and promoting good fashion. Anyone can make something, but it takes a special kind of designer to take their passion for fashion and channel it into making the world a better place through ethical and sustainable practices, often with little financial reward. We're one big community at The Fashion Advocate, and together, we're working towards positive social and environmental change.
The Fashion Advocate was highly praised with feedback from the Good Design Award judges too, 'The Fashion Advocate provides a clear articulation of the problems facing the fashion industry and communicates multiple solutions available for consumers looking for more responsible fashion options. The multi-channel platform is to be commended on its positive and active engagement with the fashion industry to influence behaviour change.'
There's a lot I don't know, but I do know that good design and good fashion can change the world. The Fashion Advocate might be a small operation now, but we have big goals, and in my lifetime, I am determined to change the industry for the better. I am now one big giant green tick closer to doing that. Booyah!
And, in truly sustainable style, I recycled a bespoke gown from one of my favourite Melbourne designers that I'd worn to the Optus My Business Awards in 2016, with an Australian made and ethical Anthea Crawford jacket, sneakers for comfort, and a clutch made from a recycled rice bag. Now that's good design!
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