Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) has been working with the team at Kering to develop innovation for sustainability in LCF students across communications, design, and strategy. From a pool of applicants across BA and MA courses, we worked with the most creative and rigorous thinkers, makers, and practitioners through a programme of mentoring and coaching.
Six finalists were selected for their standout work in response to briefs from Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Prior to the announcement of 2015's winners, we caught up with each of the changemakers selected as finalists to hear more about their innovative ideas – in this blog we speak to Ingrid Rautemberg. The winners of the Kering Award for Sustainable Fashion receive €10,000 and a paid internship at the brand.
Finalist – Ingrid Rautemberg
MA Fashion Futures student Ingrid Rautemberg was overwhelmed by the immense pollution of our oceans caused by an over-reliance on plastics, fashion designer, and computer scientist Ingrid focused her research on alternatives to this modern ecological disaster. This led her to explore her own bioplastic solutions using everyday domestic ingredients.
‘Mixing the basic formula + (nuts, seaweed, agave) x adding different types of organic food or food waste like banana peel, I came up with 24 formulas of bio plastic or as I call it “e-skin”.’
The bioplastic formulae that Ingrid has developed have multiple applications including accessories and packaging. In working with the team at Alexander McQueen she focused her work on establishing a waterproofing technique for use in textile print design. Her skills in computer science enables Ingrid to create powerful stories through the use of digital manipulation and film. It is this diverse palette of skills and the ability to traverse disciplines that characterizes Ingrid as a designer for a future fashion industry.
Through the Award, Ingrid worked with experts from the CSF and with Sarah Needham, Sustainability Manager at Alexander McQueen, to find commercial application for her experimental design approach, underpinned by ecological imperatives.