Press Release
The Zalea Artwear Handcrafted Jacket by Laili Lau Receives the A' Design Award in Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Laili Lau for fashion, apparel and garment design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design category for The Zalea Artwear Handcrafted Jacket by Laili Lau. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About The Zalea Artwear Handcrafted Jacket
The Zalea Artwear is a handcrafted jacket made from upcycled fabric scarves and discarded textiles. Each fabric scrap is selected and sewn by hand, forming layered textures. The oversized silhouette and cascading fabric strips give the jacket a sculptural quality. Upcycled cotton, wool and silk are used, and the loose sleeves allow easy layering. The jacket measures 80 cm in length and 60 cm across the chest. The slow manual process values craftsmanship over mass production and reduces textile waste.
About Laili Lau
aili Lau is a Brooklyn-based designer born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. With a multicultural background that blends Asian and Lebanese roots with her Latina identity, her work reflects a rich fusion of cultural storytelling and refined femininity. Since moving to New York in 2017, she has expanded from fashion and costume design into textile art. Through her brand, Laili Lau, she creates small-batch pieces using deadstock and recycled materials, each one a reflection of personal evolution, resilience, and mindful craftsmanship.
Award Record
Laili Lau is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design Award
The A' Fashion Design Award is an international fashion design competition recognizing good fashion designs by best fashion designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to fashion designers, apparel designers, garment designers and textile designers from all countries. Typical entries include runway collections, dresses, suits, skirts, outerwear and jackets. The awarded fashion designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/fashion
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/164863
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/164863
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!164863
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/347406
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.instagram.com/bylaililau/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Zalea Artwear Handcrafted Jacket
- Function
- Handcrafted Jacket
- Category
- Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design
- Discipline
- Fashion Design
- Industry
- Fashion
- Colors
- Gray, Rosy Brown, Light Gray, Tan and Sienna
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Laili Lau
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #164863
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photo: Anibal Mestre Wong Model: Valeria Usganda Production: Manaure Penalver
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Zalea jacket is a one-of-a-kind wearable art piece made from fabric scarves and discarded materials. Each scrap is thoughtfully selected and sewn, creating rich textures that tell a story of sustainable creativity. The oversized silhouette and cascading fabric strips give it a sculptural quality. It blends fashion with eco-conscious design, serving as both a garment and a statement against mass production, reflecting a deep respect for the environment.
- Inspiration
- The Zalea jacket emerged from a soulful, spontaneous process, hand-sewn from fabric remnants collected over four years. In late 2022, I began creating without a set design, focusing on textures and movement. The process became a cathartic, anxiety-relieving practice that reconnected me with my craft. Using donated, recycled, and salvaged fabrics, the jacket honors the materials' histories while representing a fresh and mindful approach to sustainable fashion.
- Research
- The Zalea jacket draws inspiration from the azalea flower's delicate yet resilient nature and the protective garment concept. The name "Zalea" reflects the beauty and strength found in nature. At the same time, the jacket itself is designed to act as a modern-day cape—offering both physical comfort and a symbolic sense of protection and empowerment. Using upcycled materials, the jacket becomes a shield against waste and represents sustainable creativity, giving the wearer a feeling of strength and connection to the earth.
- Challenge
- Creating the Zalea jacket as a one-of-a-kind, wearable art piece involved overcoming challenges related to sourcing sustainable materials and developing a meticulous, labor-intensive process. This jacket was crafted as a desirable art piece to wear, made by hand with great care. The scarcity of suitable recycled fabrics and the slow, manual techniques added complexity, requiring creativity, resilience, and dedication. Driven by social and environmental awareness, every stitch honors the materials’ histories, reflecting a shift away from mass production and placing value on craftsmanship and intentional creation.
- Realization and Technology
- Constructed using hand-sewn techniques, the Zalea jacket is made entirely from donated and recycled fabric scraps. Each piece is manually assembled, a slow-fashion process that values craftsmanship over mass production. This sustainable approach merges discarded scarves and textiles into a cohesive, one-of-a-kind piece, embodying a dedication to eco-conscious design.
- Operation and Interaction
- The Zalea jacket is a fluid, wearable art piece designed for both comfort and statement-making. Each fabric scrap is meticulously sewn, creating a textured, cascading effect. Its oversized silhouette invites layering, while its eco-conscious design and construction emphasize sustainability, encouraging the wearer to appreciate the garment's unique story and craftsmanship.
- Project Duration and Location
- The Zalea jacket was created over approximately four and a half months, at a slow and mindful pace. The process took place in my studio in Brooklyn, NYC, where I enjoyed carefully hand-sewing the fabric scraps, allowing the design to evolve organically. This leisurely approach allowed for deeper creativity and connection with the materials, creating a truly unique and thoughtful piece.
- Specifications
- Dimensions: 80 cm (length) x 60 cm (chest width). Loose sleeves, 55 cm long. Weight: approx. 1.5 kg. Materials: Upcycled cotton, wool, and silk, providing durability and a soft touch. Care: Dry clean or gentle hand-wash only, due to the delicate, hand-sewn structure. Each jacket’s unique textures and volumes stem from thoughtfully selected fabric scraps
- Keywords
- Upcycled Fashion, Artwear, Handmade Jacket, Sustainable Design, Slow Fashion, Textile Art, Eco-Conscious, Unique Apparel, Recycled Materials
