Conceived and launched in 2019 by the LHCA (Leather & Hide Council of America), the US trade association, WORLD LEATHER CONTEST involves, in addition to Italy, also Leather UK for Great Britain, CLIA (China Leather Industry Association) for the China and TLIA (Taiwan Leather Industry Association) for Taiwan.
WORLD LEATHER CONTEST invites students to create unique and innovative accessories, using only leather or, alternatively, combining it with other natural materials. The goal is to explore new stylistic and applicative territories of the skin within 3 product categories giving voice, space and visibility to the ideas of the creatives of the near future. And, first of all, to offer the new generations technical and cultural tools to understand and deepen the identity and value of the skin.
The training course built by UNIC – Italian Tanneries and Lineapelle began in January 2020, offering students activities on the skin, with the didactic goal of making people understand the material, its possible processes and the countless types of finished articles. Once the theoretical part was closed, the practical one had to deal with the global health emergency of Covid-19, imposing a different project management, remotely and digitally. Due to the pandemic, the following stages are still being defined which involve the procurement of materials, their distribution to students, the creation of prototypes, "We are committed to promoting best practices in the production of quality leather – comments the LHCA President, Stephen Sothmann -. And we are committed to supporting new talents, when they need them most. We are therefore pleased to announce the continuation of this one-of-a-kind competition. This offers students the opportunity to promote style before fast fashion, as well as the opportunity to innovate and get inspired by using a natural and incredibly resistant material. We thank all 2020 participants for their patience and we hope that next year will be a positive year. "
