A LIVE UPCYCLING COMPETITION EMPOWERING EMERGING DESIGNERS

RE/ASSEMBLY IS A LIVE UPCYCLING COMPETITION held in front of an audience at the PREFACE fabric show in downtown Los Angeles on the 28th of January 2026.

Emerging designers will have ONE DAY to create an outfit in teams of three using only industrial waste and post-consumer materials in front of the show 500+ attendees of industry professionals. As materials becoming creative garments in real-time, the audience engages with the event, making upcycling visible and inspiring. A presentation of the result and an award ceremony for the WINNING TEAM will take place at the show.

WHO CAN APPLY

The competition is open to all students who are in their 3rd of 4th year in fashion design studies or have completed their studies in fashion design in the academic year of 2024/2025. Applicants must be 18 years old or older.

TEAMWORK

The competition is carried out by teams of 3. When applying, you agree to compete in a team consisting of other applicants. RE/ASSEMBLY matches your design language and skills with other applicants. Teams of 2 or 3 are allowed to apply. If you are a team applying, please mark your application with your team name “SURNAME_NAME_TEAMNAME”.

FEES

There are no registration fees and participating in the contest is free, however, any travel and housing expenses must be covered by the participants.

HOW TO APPLY

Your digital application must be sent via WeTransfer (www.wetransfer.com) at the address applications@reassembly.co.kr. Please do not use other methods to send your application. Your portfolio must be submitted as a single file in PDF format. All files must be placed within one folder. The folder should be renamed as follows: “SURNAME_NAME” or “SURNAME_NAME_TEAMNAME” if applying as a team of 2 or 3.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

  • 1 page CV in English

  • 1/2 page biography about your design practice and your commitment to sustainability in fashion design

  • PDF with a selection of 3 fashion design projects demonstrating your design language, craftsmanship and design process. The projects should clearly show the final designs in HD images. PDF should be maximum 6 pages.

THE PRIZE

The winning team designers will each be awarded a JUKI sewing machine and a 750€ gift card on European premium recycled fabric manufacturer WETURN. Additional prizes may be announced by the organizer at a later date.

THE JURY

The competition will be judged by a panel of industry professionals. The panel will select the winning team based on design, craftsmanship, and concept. The winning team will be announced at the end of the day of the competition in an award ceremony held at PREFACE fabric fair.

SELECTED FINALISTS

Selected designers will be contacted end of December 2025 by email. The selected candidates must be physically present in Los Angeles on the 26th of January to participate in the education program as well as the competition day on January 28th 2026.

DEADLINE

Deadline to apply is the 24th of December 2025.