LONDON — 1 Granary, the fashion education and media platform, is launching the 1 Granary Design Awards in an effort to end the culture of invisibility that has defined the fashion industry’s relationship with its own designers.
Instead of celebrating one figure at the top, the awards are aimed at reflecting how the fashion industry really operates: collectively, collaboratively, and through thousands of decisions made by teams who never get to walk a red carpet, said Olya Kuryshchuk, founder of 1 Granary.
“While most industries honor a wide ecosystem of contributors, fashion awards tend to spotlight a single name. And with so many ceremonies funded by the same brands that secure the nominations, the outcome often feels predetermined long before the envelope is opened,” Kuryshchuk added.
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For a change, winners of the 1 Granary Design Awards across 20 categories will be decided by two rounds of voting from over 1,000 designers, from major luxury houses to independent studios, as well as the industry’s top creative directors, such as Julian Klausner at Dries Van Noten, Peter Copping at Lanvin, Matteo Tamburini at Tod’s, and Veronica Leoni at Calvin Klein Collection.
The awards will recognize those with outstanding performance in tailoring, knitwear, print, fabric and trims, embroidery, outerwear, bag and leather goods, shoe, jewelry, as well as categories like best womenswear collection, best menswear collection, best concept/direction, and collection most likely to be referenced in five years.
There will also be recognitions for casting and character development, collection styling, creative director debut of the year, studio of the year, collaboration of the year, independent brand of the year, sustainability and innovation, and lifetime contribution to design education.
The winners will be announced online on Tuesday.
“This is the first peer-led award of its kind in fashion. Just designers recognizing other designers. The validation that comes from your peers is often the most vital kind, as it affirms that your contribution matters, not just to the bottom line, but to the craft itself,” touted Kuryshchuk.
She believes that there is a growing desire across the fashion industry to return to craft, authorship and accountability, and to recognize individual contributors is fundamental to the future of design.
“The myth of the lone genius served an older version of fashion, but it doesn’t serve the reality of how clothes are made today. Creativity has always been a group effort. The industry just pretended otherwise,” said Kuryshchuk.
“With 1 Granary Design Awards, we want to end the culture of invisibility, the idea that designers should stay hidden behind NDAs, and the practice of treating full teams as footnotes in their own work. This invisibility has real consequences. Designers tell us that being credited shapes everything from job mobility to self-worth to the ability to build long-term careers within large houses. If the industry wants to keep its talent, retain its craft, and sustain its creativity, it has to start acknowledging the people who carry its weight,” she continued.
Since its inception in 2013, 1 Granary has become an active advocate via print, digital content, events, recruitment, and brand development programs to drive positive change in the fashion industry.
In recent years, it partnered with Ecco Leather, a design-led tannery under the footwear giant Ecco, to enable emerging designers to gain access to its workshops in the Netherlands, and launched an invitation-only virtual club with Tencel, connecting education with the industry on a practical level.
Through initiatives like fashion showroom support, individual mentoring, and consulting, the platform has also assisted in the development of multiple fashion design businesses, including Chopova Lowena, Knwls, Ranra, Paolina Russo and Jordan Dalah.
Kuryshchuk said she hopes the 1 Granary Design Awards will be an extension of everything the platform stands for from Day One: “protecting designers, raising standards, and building better systems around creative work.”
