Alumni

Three FIDM Grads are Finalists in Techstyle For Social Good Competition

After a round of selection by a judge panel of distinguished industry experts and design academics, three graduates of FIDM — Faith Ibrahim, Reanne Wang, and Bianca Betdashtoo — are finalists in the Techstyle For Social Good International Online Competition 2020, hosted by The Mills Fabrica and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The FIDM Alumnae are eligible to win the Techstyle Community Prize and a cash award, via online voting on The Mills Fabrica’s Facebook page until 11:50 p.m. PDT on August 26, 2020. The entry with the most “Likes” will be announced as the winner on August 31, 2020.

Faith Ibrahim, a recent International Manufacturing & Product Development graduate, entered the competition with Recycled Plastic Leather (RPL), which is made by applying a 100 percent polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wax, or dye finish to a base material. In comparison to traditional synthetic leather, which could be made solely out of a 100 percent polyurethane, incorporating a base material made with polyester created from recycled plastic bottles helps to reduce the amount of polyurethane used, as the chemical is known to be toxic, according to her entry statement.

FIDM Graduates, Reanne Wang and Bianca Betdashtoo, are Co-Founders of Re-Tread, a process that recycles nitrile gloves and transforms them into new, sustainable shoe soles. Their entry video says the biggest threat to the environment is human behavior, noting that since the start of COVID-19, an estimated 65 billion-plus gloves have been disposed of every month, scattered globally in landfills, beaches, and streets. After collecting glove waste, Re-Tread technology cleans, sanitizes, and breaks down the glove so that it can be melted to form a sole.

Vote for the FIDM finalists by visiting Facebook.com/TheMillsFabrica.

Categories:  International Manufacturing & Product Development Alumni