Cotton made in Africa Contest Unites Sustainability and Fashion

This is the perfect opportunity for the Aid by Trade Foundation to personally approach talented young people and launch an international design contest. From February to July 2012, the foundation will work together with textile and advertising companies, and the renowned fashion design schools ESMOD (Germany), LISOF (South Africa), Johari (Kenya), the Buru Buru Institute (Kenya) and CPUT (South Africa) to organise the "Cotton made in Africa Fashion Contest 2012". The contest calls for an innovative work of art made of raw cotton that combines fashion and sustainability and represents the initiative's symbol raw cotton in a creative way and with an eye to fashion.

Under the motto "design not jute", the aim is to support the fashion industry's new consciousness and dedication to working towards conserving the environment and social sustainability.

An eight-person jury, comprising well-known representatives from journalism, fashion design and textiles, like designer Julia Starp and Jacqueline Shaw (blogger and founder of africafashionguide), will evaluate the creations submitted. Some of the selection criteria include the innovative and creative processing of the raw cotton and the use of original details or unusual cuts. The first-place winner will get to see his or her design realised in CmiA raw cotton and have the possibility to create a t-shirt for ECOREPUBLIC, OTTO's sustainable product line. Their work of art will also be exclusively presented at the "Albert Watson – Memories and Visions feat. Faces of Africa" exhibition from 14 September 2012 to 6 January 2013 in the Deichtorhallen Hamburg.