LINDSTRÖM AWARD
A Student Competition for Aspiring Designers
A corporate image is made up of countless subtle details. Employees play an important part in image building, as they are the face of the company. By offering clean, quality workwear for the use of their employees, companies can communicate positive things about themselves to the outside world. Catering to this need, Lindström aims to improve its customers’ image through textiles and cleanliness.
The LINDSTRÖM AWARD student design competition was first held in 2002. This ‘by invitation only’ competition is the only workwear competition in the world. Over the years, dozens of international student teams have pursued victory in the contest by designing innovative workwear collections for the participating case companies.
While the purpose of the LINDSTRÖM AWARD is to give young, aspring designers a platform for showcasing their talents, it also brings new ideas and innovative solutions to corporate workwear. More importantly, the competition gives students an opportunity to learn about the process of designing workwear that meets the needs of real companies. The competition shows Lindström’s dedication when it comes to building corporate image through textiles and aims to raise awareness about the role of corporate workwear in brand management.
Most recently, in 2008, the competition brought together six student teams from four different European universities: Estonian Academy of Arts, Hungarian University of Crafts and Design, London School of Fashion, as well as University of Art and Design Helsinki. The assignment was to design a workwear collection for the case company, Toyota Auto Finland, with one of the outfits made into a prototype. Although University of Art and Design Helsinki won the LINDSTRÖM AWARD 2008, the jury also awarded the Hungarian University of Crafts and Design for best fabric usage.
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LINDSTRÖM AWARD 2010
LINDSTRÖM AWARD 2010 is organized in cooperation with this year’s case company, KONE Corporation. KONE is a global engineering and service company specializing in the installation, modernization and maintenance of elevators, escalators and automatic doors. As a leading industry player, KONE recognizes the importance of corporate workwear in communicating a professional image to its customers.
Consequently, this year’s task is to design a functional and innovative workwear solution for KONE. Select design schools in Europe, Asia and North America have been invited to participate. Interested participants are expected to sign up for the competition no later than December 15, 2009. Competing portfolios must be delivered to Lindström’s headquarters in Helsinki, Finland, by December 31, 2009.
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KEY DATES
OCTOBER, 2009
- LINDSTRÖM AWARD 2010 website opened
- Invitations and applications sent to design schools
DECEMBER 2009
- Participant registration
- Client interviews by students at local KONE offices
- Concept and outfit designs
JANUARY 15 2010
- Portfolios submitted to Lindström
FEBRUARY 4 2010
- Jury selects five portfolios to be made into prototypes
- Feedback
FEBRUARY 2010
- Prototype production begins
MARCH-MAY 2010
- Prototype production
- Exhibition materials prepared
JUNE 3 2010
- Award ceremony in Helsinki, Finland
- Fashion show presenting works of five finalists
- Feedback
AUGUST-DECEMBER 2010
- Winner invited to work as trainee