FABRIC Upcycling Contest

FABRIC Upcycling Contest

Presented by FABRIC – Future Fashion Lab. Kindly supported by our sponsors Hanseatic Help and Brother.

Our upcycling theme for June 2026: blazers and T-shirts

What it's about

You'll create your own outfit from blazers and T-shirts that our sponsor Hanseatic Help can no longer pass on for charitable use. From material handout to finale, you'll have one week to bring your design to life. Our sponsor Brother adds print technology to the contest, so your outfit should include printed elements — two printing slots at FABRIC are available for you to realise these. At the end, you'll present your design at a fashion show in the Galleria Passage. We'll provide you with your own model and professional styling.

Document your process

From the first cut to the finished outfit: we want to be part of how your design comes to life. So please capture your work on film — a smartphone is more than enough.

You have two options:

• Share your footage with us, or
• Post your process on social media yourself and tag @fabric.hamburg

This way, a documentation grows alongside the designs — showing how discarded materials become new fashion and how designers actually work.

Schedule

• 12 May – Applications open
• 14 June – Application deadline. Apply via the form. We'll inform selected participants as soon as possible.
• 19 June, 1 – 5 pm – Material handout at Hanseatic Help. Pick your starting materials on site: blazers and T-shirts.
• 23 & 25 June – Printing slots at FABRIC. Two fixed dates to produce your print elements. Details to follow in the briefing.
• 26 June 2026 – Finale & fashion show at Galleria Passage
  • From 4 pm: Participants on site (set-up, styling, preparation)
  • 7 – 8:30 pm: Fashion show & finale

All designs will be presented at the fashion show. A professional jury and the audience together will choose the winning outfit.

What's in it for you

• Your own model for your design
• Professional styling for the fashion show
• A stage in the heart of Hamburg's city centre
• Feedback from an expert jury
• A surprise prize for the winning outfit, sponsored by Brother

Before you apply

The FABRIC Upcycling Contest only works if all participants are present at the key dates. Please only apply if you're available on the following days:

• 19 June 2026, 1 – 5 pm – Material handout
• 23 & 25 June 2026 – Printing slots at FABRIC
• 26 June 2026, from 4 pm – Finale (fashion show 7 – 8:30 pm)

You should also be willing to have your working process documented on film.

Our sponsors

Hanseatic Help provides the starting materials for the contest — textiles that can no longer be used in the traditional aid cycle and get a second life through upcycling.

Brother brings print technology to the contest, enables the printing slots at FABRIC and donates the main prize for the winning outfit.

Tell us who you are, what drives you and how we can reach you. We look forward to your application.

We treat personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and the privacy policy of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft: https://kreativgesellschaft.org/ueber-uns/datenschutzerklaerung/