Redress x United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network: World Name for Fashion to Ship on the SDGs

Fashion Designer activists unite through the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the necessity to scale up various style manufacturers supporting the Sustainable Development Goals

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Redress, the Asia-focused NGO accelerating round style along with the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network (UNFLN), which performs a central function in advancing sustainable improvement by connecting business stakeholders, media, governments, and United Nations entities, co-organised a excessive impression delegation and panel dialogue of pioneering clothier activists, representing India, the Philippines and USA, inside the SDG Media Zone on the United Nations General Assembly. With the mainstream world style business usually failing to undertake satisfactory sustainable and moral responses to style’s polluting and dangerous methods, as sustainability takes a backseat and business executives prioritise different alternatives^[1], the delegation referred to as for assist of established moral and accountable style and way of life manufacturers that already work to attain a number of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in usually far-reaching, growing world provide chains.

Fashion activists on the designer-led business panel dialogue, Damini Mittai (India), Jann Christian Lim Bungcaras (Philippines) and Isabella Li Kostrzewa (USA), mentioned their works which are targeted on key world style themes, together with intersectional environmental justice, cultural id, social inequality, gender inequality, overconsumption and textile waste colonialism.

“Fashion must be more than just creativity and commerce,” stated Dr. Christina Dean, Founder of Redress. “Fashion needs more of an ethical heart and soul to address our planetary challenges. There are countless inspiring brands globally making more than just clothes; they are making positive impacts at various Sustainable Development Goals. From consumers to investors, we must spotlight and empower these businesses to give them a rightful seat at the global fashion table.”

Building momentum collectively: The United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network welcomes Redress’ Alumni designers

This delegation and occasion collaboration signified Redress as a member of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network, the organisation that allows collaboration between industries and the United Nations system, accelerates innovation and information sharing, and elevates the contributions of members driving constructive impression worldwide which have important world traction.

“As the United Nations Secretary-General reminded us on the International Day of Zero Waste, fashion must make good sense for both people and planet,” stated Kerry Bannigan, Co-Founder of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network and President of the Board, PVBLIC Foundation. “Fashion significantly influences numerous aspects of society, from employment and gender equality to innovation and cultural expression. The choices we make in this sector today profoundly affect the world we live in tomorrow.”

Redress’ world community of moral style designers, who’re Alumni of the world’s largest sustainable style design competitors, the Redress Design Award, had been outreached and supported in becoming a member of the UNFLN. The purpose was to convey extra style advocates, notably these from Asia, into the UNFLN’s world community and to encourage business stakeholders to reveal options and scale their impression. Through convenings, training and advocacy, Redress and UNFLN will proceed to spotlight sustainable practices and empower companies to guide change.

Spotlighting Asia – and bringing extra Asian designers into the community – is essential 

Asia is pivotal in attaining style’s world sustainability efforts. Asia accounts for some 60% of worldwide exports of clothes and textiles^[2], with roughly 60 million employees being employed in Asia’s garment manufacturing^[3]. Asia can be hit hardest by local weather change, with the area heating up quicker than the worldwide common^[4]. Asia-focused Redress’ Alumni designers primarily come from Asia.

Damini Mittai, Founder and Designer, Koaka Collective, India, stated “My work with marginalised female rural communities in India aims to foster sustainable livelihoods through skills-building and collective action, working against gender equality and the injustice of climate change.”

Jann Christian Lim Bungcaras, Founder, Creative Director and Designer, Jann Bungcaras Fashion House, Philippines, stated “The Philippines is awash with a modern textile waste colonialisation, from post consumer to industry waste, and as a developing country, we should not be seen as a dumping ground for waste.”

Isabella Li Kostrzewa, Artist, Isboko, USA, stated “Here in my own country of USA, we have a gluttony of fashion overconsumption and we urgently need to inspire fashion consumers toward healthier fashion choices.”

Redress Alumni designers who’ve joined the UNFLN are: Damini Mittai (India), Jann Bungcaras (Philippines), Isabella Li Kostrzewa (USA), Aashita Jain (India), Ruyin Tian (China), Aarushi Kilawat (India), Ruwanthi Gajadeera (Sri Lanka); and from around the globe Lívia Aguiar de Castro (Brazil), Louise Boase (Australia), Rachel Clowes (UK), Rose Brown (UK), Magdalena Malbran (Argentina), and Silvia Acién Parrilla (Spain).

Together, they characterize a rising motion of moral and accountable companies exhibiting that sustainable style can scale past particular person initiatives into systemic business transformation.

Media Assets 

High-resolution photographs can be found here.
Link to the three designers’ bios here.

About Redress:

Redress (www.redress.com.hk) is a Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO with a mission to speed up the change to a round style business by educating and empowering designers and shoppers in order to scale back clothes’s adverse environmental impacts.

One of their programmes, The Redress Design Award (www.redressdesignaward.com) is the world’s main sustainable style design competitors that educates and empowers rising style designers about round design methods to scale back style’s adverse environmental impacts. Organised by Redress since 2011, the competitors companions with tutorial establishments globally and attracts designer candidates from over 50 nations and areas to win prizes that join them with global-leading style companies to speed up the change to a round style business. Through this, the Redress Alumni Network unites 330+ rising and established style voices from the world over, spanning model founders to visionary educators. 

About the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network

The United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network (unfashionlifestyle.org), a web-based platform hosted by the United Nations (UN), performs a key function in advancing sustainable improvement  by connecting business stakeholders, media, governments, and UN entities. The Network permits collaboration between industries and the UN system, accelerates innovation and information sharing, and elevates the contributions of members driving constructive impression worldwide. The United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network is a collaborative initiative of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the Fashion Impact Fund, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a supporting companion of the Network.

Special due to main world garment producer TAL Apparel who generously supported the Redress Alumni delegation’s journey to New York. Founded in 1947, TAL has established itself as a number one world garment producer with a robust dedication to innovation, sustainability, and buyer satisfaction. A trusted companion for style manufacturers worldwide, TAL is proudly main the transition to a sustainable future.