ORIHUELA COSTA — Keyla Cabral, a fashion design student from UDIT, has clinched the top prize at the fourth annual Greenwalk Awards, a national competition that merges fashion, sustainability, and emerging talent.
The event, held for the first time at the Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre, saw twelve fashion students from nine institutions compete for the grand prize: an exclusive course at the globally renowned Central Saint Martins school in London, complete with travel and accommodation expenses.
The gala was hosted by TV presenter Luján Argüelles and featured actress and model Vanesa Romero as the event’s patron and a member of the expert jury.
The Winning Design: An Ode to Slow Fashion
Keyla Cabral secured the first prize with a design deeply inspired by African music and culture. The sustainability of her proposal lay in its meticulous craftsmanship and the upcycling of materials.
The winning piece was entirely constructed from a mesh fabric that was intervened with over 20,000 cable ties, each one meticulously placed and dyed by hand. This painstaking process was undertaken to reproduce a pattern from a painting by the designer’s father.
Cabral’s work is a powerful statement, celebrating the value of time and human effort against the backdrop of fast, disposable fashion production.
Recognising Responsible Talent
Other top prizes underscored the competition’s focus on environmental and social consciousness:
- Elle Education x Mindway Award: Went to Nuria Gil (from the Higher School of Art and Design in Alcoy). Her conceptual design was inspired by a study linking the presence of hairdressing salons to an increase in injured pigeons caught in hair residue. Her piece was made using biodegradable materials, including vegan leather and human hair extensions salvaged from her own workshop (which ironically used to be a hair salon).
- Public Prize: Awarded to Asier López (from the Higher School of Art and Design in Burgos) for his collection, Nether Tide. Inspired by mermaids suffering the effects of marine pollution, his design prioritized low-impact processes, using 100% linen and reused fishing nets which he dyed black using minimal chemicals.
Organized by Nhood, the Greenwalk Awards aim to support young talent and promote conscious consumption, fostering recycling and innovation within the textile industry. The choice to host the event near Orihuela’s coast, alongside Barcelona and Vigo, reflected the organizers’ commitment to highlighting the importance of protecting marine ecosystems.
