Real Leather. Stay Different. 2025 International Student Design Competition continues to scale
/ July 2025gt&i co-ordinated campaign, Real Leather. Stay Different. (RLSD) campaign – led by the Leather & Hide Council of America – continues to build momentum as it closed its 2025 entries this week with record-breaking numbers.
Nearly 2500 new designer profiles were created on the competition platform, with more than 1,300 entries submitted; a 28% year-on-year increase in submissions. The scale of international engagement evidences its relevance to a new generation of fashion talent seeking sustainable and natural alternative to synthetics.
With more than 10,000 designers now part of the RLSD community the campaign has cultivated a strong global network of young creatives who embrace natural materials and reject fast fashion in favour of slow style.
The international final takes place in Taipei, Taiwan in October.