Since 2018, the award has been presented by the VDMD to designers who have dedicated their designs and collections to the increasingly important topic of sustainability, use sustainable materials and produce responsibly. This means that the companies must be managed in a holistically sustainable manner; this also includes their supply chains, the fair organiser said in a press release.
Previous award-winning designers are Sophia Schneider-Esleben, Anke Frese-Brammer and Laura Krettek. This year's award winner, Michael Spitzbarth, founded his outdoor and streetwear label Bleed in 2008 – his aspiration: to inspire a sustainable lifestyle that is fun and easy to integrate into daily life. After his studies in textile design, he worked for several years as a freelancer for different clothing companies. During this time he gained deep insights into the conventional textile industry and decided to change something. “Nature had bled enough and it had to stop,” said Michael Spitzbarth, founder & CEO of Bleed. “And just like that, not only the name but also the brand were born.”
The award will be presented jointly by Olaf Schmidt, vice president of Textiles & Textile Technologies of Messe Frankfurt, and René Lang, president of VDMD. “We are delighted that the Sustainability Award presented by VDMD is again going to such an outstanding designer this year,” says Olaf Schmidt. “Bleed has been exhibiting at the Neonyt trade show for a number of years, and we have a long-standing friendship. Spitzbarth and his team operate in a climate-neutral way, produce 'toxic free' fashion collections and have managed to win people for the green wave for more than a decade without appointing any fingers.”
Lisi Maier, appointed member of the German Federal Government's Council for Sustainable Development and director of the Federal Foundation for Gender Equality, will give a laudatory speech at the award ceremony.
In the week from June 20-26, the city of Frankfurt am Main will be dominated by sustainable fashion, design & art. Numerous events will take place throughout the city under the umbrella brand Frankfurt Fashion Week. Exhibitions, fashion shows, talks, presentations and open studios invite all interested citizens to explore and experience fashion and all topics related to sustainable design. Frankfurt Fashion Week thus also offers a marketing platform for the regional fashion and design scene as well as the cultural and creative industries. Frankfurt Fashion Week is a multi-layered, easily accessible and cross-generational offering of the city of Frankfurt am Main.
In addition, from June 21-24, 2022, Messe Frankfurt will be bringing together the globally oriented B2B events Techtextil, Texprocess and Heimtextil Summer Special, which will highlight themes of particular relevance to the international fashion and living sector.
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