Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen Wins Zalando Sustainability Award

Iso.Poetism’s continued commitment to innovation stood out from the competition! Iso.Poetism and Zalando to create an exclusive collection to further explore more sustainable options!

The Zalando Sustainability Award aims to encourage fashion brands to explore alternative approaches to design and production to contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry.

Today, Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, announces as the winner of its third Sustainability Award in partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week, currently taking place from the 1st to the 4th of February 2022. Iso.Poetism particularly impressed with its .This is the third season of a three-year strategic partnership between Zalando and Copenhagen Fashion Week, with the award at its core. The award aims to encourage fashion brands to explore sustainable alternatives and recognize strategies that contribute to a more sustainable industry.

According to the jury, the collection showcased at Copenhagen Fashion Week displayed the brand’s ethos of .

Sara Diez, VP Category Women and Private Labels, Zalando SE says: “One of the key criteria when selecting the winner of the Sustainability Award was how they combined fashion credibility with sustainability and really hit the mark with their fabric choices, and the timelessness and longevity of their designs.

As a platform we want to use our influence to grow more sustainable choices for our customers and it is great to see that many brands want to partner with us in this mission. We look forward to working with to explore sustainable advancements and innovation to make sustainability more desirable than ever. With a focus on transparency and sharing information on the impacts of the fabrics used, we hope to make it easier for shoppers to make a more sustainable choice.”

The Zalando Sustainability Award finalists’ collections were presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week primarily with a digital show and a small number of guests at the Nikolaj Kunsthal venue - delivered with all the social distancing and safety precautions required in the context of the ongoing health pandemic. The collections were also showcased in the Zalando Greenhouse, a digital showroom that allows consumers around the world to explore the pieces and watch the shows as they happened live. The virtual space also hosted workshops on ‘Care & Repair’ with and ‘Styling More Sustainably” with and became a hub for consumers to learn about the brands’ sustainable practices. Panel talks were also streamed in the digital space with a range of top speakers including and others from across the fashion network. They covered current industry topics, specifically Circularity with discussion on the business case for incorporating circular practices, how it helps tackle the climate crisis and what a circular economy looks like; designing out waste, keeping materials in use and regenerating natural systems. The immersive virtual experience represents a step change in how fashion collections are showcased and how innovative technology inspires and drives the industry towards a more sustainable future.

Tobias Birk Nielsen will receive a financial prize of €20,000 and a partnership with Zalando to develop an exclusive collection that will further explore more sustainable solutions in design across materials, production processes, technological solutions and traceability. Zalando will make a broad selection of the AW22 collection showcased at Copenhagen Fashion Week available to its around 45 million customers across 23 European markets.

The runners-up, and were also recognized by the jury as outstanding examples of brands that inspire and integrate sustainability throughout the entire supply chain while creating bespoke fashion pieces that are wardrobe heroes.

The finalists were selected by an experienced, international jury of thought leaders consisting of the CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Cecilie Thorsmark; Sustainability Editor of Vogue GB, Emily Chan; model, environmental activist and sustainability consultant Arizona Muse; and sustainability and brand advisor Dio Kurazawa. Representing Zalando on the jury are Director of Sustainability at Zalando, Kate Heiny and Vice President Category Women, Sara Diez. The jury members closely reviewed the applicants’ fundamental approach to sustainability and focused specifically on their use of certified materials, production processes, innovation, transparency and ability to apply a more sustainable approach to fashion.

The Sustainability Award continues to be a real marker in the fashion calendar, with the SS22 winner Nikolaj Storm’s collection now available on the Zalando website, and his capsule collection in development for release later this year.