A student from California College of Art, Josslyn Shi, has been named as the overall winner of the Real Leather, Stay Different international student design competition for 2024.

She emerged as the judges’ stand-out choice for the overall prize from four category winners at the competition’s grand final. The US Embassy in London hosted the event on September 23.

Developed by Leather & Hide Council of America (L&HCA), the competition celebrates talented young designers who use leather as a natural alternative to fast fashion. Participants are encouraged to create a bespoke item using 50% or more bovine leather. Entries can be from the apparel, footwear or accessory categories.

Ms Shi’s design project is a jacket called Ephemeral Eclosion, inspired by the lifecycle of butterflies, impressed the judging panel with its combination of craftsmanship, innovation and commitment to sustainability.

Judges this year were Christopher Koerber from Hugo Boss, Anna Melegh from Christian Louboutin, fashion education specialist Adrien Yakimov Roberts, celebrity stylist Mike Adler, and the chief executive of Rino Mastrotto Group, Matteo Mastrotto.

LHCA president, Kerry Brozyna, commented: “Real Leather, Stay Different celebrates the next generation of design talent. It underscores the importance of using natural materials, such as leather, which is not only a by-product but also sustainable, durable and versatile. These young designers show the way forward by focusing on sustainable solutions that stand the test of time.”

The winner’s design, along with those of the category winners Mor Elfassy (Apparel) from Shenkar College of Engineering, Design & Art in Israel; Roscha Dinler (Footwear) from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, and Bingbing Bai (Accessories) from Kingston University in the UK, will be showcased in a capsule collection that highlights the importance of natural materials and sustainable design in fashion.