Here at PRINT, we see designers creating so many brilliant wearables—from T-shirts to fitness devices to tote bags—that we knew we needed a competition just for them. So, this year, we launched the Wearable Design Awards.
Entires poured in, and we took our time in sifting through and pulling out 10 Outstanding Achievement Winners and one Best of Show Winner.
The thoughtfully designed pieces showcased below are meant to be worn, to be used, to be seen. We hope you love them as much as we do.
(Note: Please click gallery images to enlarge and to see complete credits.)
Wearable Design Awards Best of Show Winner
Starfysh Wetsuits combines performance with mix and match fashion. Starfysh is the first to design for the young female surfer who wants to bring her fashion into her passion of surfing. The patterns, concept and company come from Alyx Tororice, an award-winning pattern designer and an award-winning surfer.
Wearable Design Awards Outstanding Achievement Winners
aden + anais’ signature, iconic prints are unique to the baby industry and make them who they are. Influenced by stories they hear, scenes they see or just inspirational colors, there is a meaning behind each of their designs that create the patterns that complement customers’ style and make babies fall in love.
The Lure Collection is a labor of love and nostalgia. Inspired by the texture, colors and unconventional nature of fly-fishing material, these pieces are meant for those who see beauty in the unusual and possibility in the mundane. Each piece is limited-edition and made-to-order, ensuring that it’s as unique as the material that gave it life.
Snappy moustaches, fitness, body piercing, tattoos… and now we can add wristwatches and Penny-Farthings to the many Victorian fashions popular today. The Penny-Farthing watch is a tribute to the early bicycle that was the first bicycle to be called a “bicycle.” Since wristwatches and bicycles have led parallel lives for 200 years now, this is a watch whose time has come.
The Penny-Farthing wristwatch is the only timepiece for high wheelers. It’s bang up to the elephant. (That’s a good thing!) 38mm face. Domed crystal. Bespoke numerals. Afternoonified leather band. None of your hookem-snivey here!
Science says man-made climate change is real. This shirt was designed to highlight the effects of climate change and the solutions to combat them through simple illustrations. The team was looking to reach their supporters active on the issue of climate change in a new way, by introducing a smart design that they could wear proudly and continue the conversation.
This hand-lettered piece was created to show off everyone’s favorite character—the Ampersand. Even the Ampersand loves referring to itself
A secret club loves stories and finding new ways to tell them. In this tale, you get to play the main character: A secret club designed and hand-printed this kid’s bandana that doubles as a disguise and transforms the wearer into a sneaky fox. To be a little less undercover, you can flip the bandana around and proclaim your fox-like qualities with the Danish word ‘Snu’ which means a mix of cunning, sneakiness and quick wittedness. If you look hard amongst the trees, you will also find another fox hiding in the snowy forest…
Brand design firm Might & Main created this set of limited-edition products to showcase their capabilities and pay tribute to their home state, which achieved statehood in March 1820. The 12 products in the line, many of which were assembled or manufactured by local craftspeople, are emblazoned with the Maine state motto, “Dirigo,” which is Latin for “I lead.”
Zipcar took their event partnerships even further by sponsoring the ultra-cool EDM festival, TomorrowWorld, to expose more adventurous young people to the Zipcar brand. Given how fashion-forward and trendy the festivalgoers were, Zipcar knew their branded tank needed to be appealing as a fashion item that would actually be liked and worn (vs. viewed as uncool, trying-too-hard promo). This tank captured the contemporary, fantasy element of the festival, with super subtle company branding, and proved a big hit.
Wheels4Water is a cycling project created to help bring clean water and sanitation resources to marginalized people groups. In June 2015, Wheels4Water rode 450 miles down the coast of California to get clean water to a school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These jerseys were designed in collaboration with Pactimo and worn during the ride to thank the generous corporate sponsors. These jerseys are now being sold to raise additional funding for children in the DROC to receive clean water and sanitation.
Erica Lang is the founder of Woosah Outfitters, an art and apparel brand & shop in Grand Rapids, MI. Her clothing and art features woodcuts that she carves and prints directly onto the garments or paper using an etching press and oil-based inks. Woodcuts are the oldest method of printmaking, and from the first moment she carved one in her undergrad, she knew it was a long-term love affair. The process for printing goes like this: After the block is carved, it is inked up with oil based inks, run through the etching press face down on a tee, then peeled off and the shirt is left to dry for three days. Lang carved this Wild Life tee when she was raising funds for her Kickstarter campaign to open her store. She realized how wild this creative life is, in more than one way. It describes her lifestyle pretty accurately, as well as those who rep her brand.
will inspire, inform and challenge your thinking about design. Founded in 1940 by William Edwin Rudge, Print is dedicated to showcasing the extraordinary in design on and off the page.