PARIS — Kering is expanding its sustainability-minded Generation Award to jewelry — and students.
The French group on Friday unveiled the launch of “Kering Generation Award x Jewelry,” in partnership with the World Jewelry Confederation, or CIBJO, and with the scientific coordination of the Poli.Design — Politecnico di Milano technical university.
“Extending our Kering Generation Awards to jewelry is a pivotal moment in our commitment to advancing sustainability and innovation in the jewelry industry,” declared Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering’s chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer.
In addition to already launched start-ups working on sustainable designs and practices in jewelry-making, the parent company of jewelers Boucheron, Pomellato and Qeelin is also opening the award to university-level students in hopes of creating a community that fosters innovation.
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The awards will be an international contest aimed at start-ups as well as 10 universities and academies from around the world offering courses on jewelry and sustainability, with each school expected to present at least three projects developed by its students under the mentorship of local professors.
Under the theme “Second Chance, First Choice,” competitors are invited to design jewelry — either a single piece or a whole collection — that reimagines waste as a resource, creating jewelry from discarded materials to challenge traditional concepts of waste and explore creative reuse.
Four projects, two from students and another two from start-ups, will be presented to the jury in June 2025 during the JCK jewelry trade show.
“By bringing together young talents from leading academical institutions worldwide and start-ups, we are creating a collaborative platform that celebrates creativity and sustainability,” declared Alba Cappellieri, head of jewelry at Politecnico di Milano and scientific coordinator of the award.
Launched in China in 2018 before being expanded to Japan and Saudi Arabia in 2024, Kering’s Generation Award initially honored start-ups focused on sustainability in the fashion space and encouraged new thinking about the way the fashion industry produces clothing and uses resources.
