UP AND COMING TALENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT THE EPSON DESIGN AWARDS 2022 - WE INTERVIEW SOPHIE WANTIA LAST YEARS WINNER
“I’ve always wanted to combine different print techniques, so this was a perfect opportunity to start doing this. I think the printed fabrics produced by Epson last year where really beautiful and beyond my expectations, I loved the quality of the printed colours. I was very honoured to have won the dye-sublimation printer, the Epson Design Awards, and to be able to start exploring the possibilities with digital textile printing.” commented Sophie Wantia.
Epson Design Awards 2022 | DATE: 15 NOVEMBER 2022 | LOCATION: LAB1 IN EINDHOVEN | START SHOW: 20:00
Printer manufacturer Epson and fashion innovator LABELEDBY. organise once again this year, the Epson Design Awards. The award show in which talented designers can show their creativity to a larger audience.
The submitted designs will be judged by a professional jury and can be admired in a dazzling runway show during the week of the GLOW Festival in Eindhoven. The award winner will receive an Epson SureColor SC-F500 dye sublimation printer as a gift.
"The first edition of the Epson Design Awards was so successful that we decided to take an even bigger approach this year," says Emile Schmeits, marketing manager at Epson Netherlands. "The awards are intended to help young, enthusiastic designers get their work to the attention of a larger audience.”
“We saw last year how well that worked. At the same time, we want to introduce the next generation of fashion designers to a sustainable, small-scale and on-demand way of printing fabrics."
Last years Epson Design Awards winner Sophie Wantia created a dazzling collection of powerful fashion prints using Epson SureColor technology.
“I’ve always wanted to combine different print techniques, so this was a perfect opportunity to start doing this. I think the printed fabrics produced by Epson last year where really beautiful and beyond my expectations, I loved the quality of the printed colours. I was very honoured to have won the dye-sublimation printer, the Epson Design Awards, and to be able to start exploring the possibilities with digital textile printing.” commented Sophie Wantia.
A talent creative, Sophie’s work and innate practical creativity shone through in her stunning apparel designs. “As a designer I like to think about sustainability and the purpose of what I'm making? Why would I be making this? Does the market need more of that?” Sophie added. She creates her patterns using physical and digital process, and plays with dye sublimation technology, printing onto transfer paper, then using a heat press to create bold, collage style printed fabric designs. Sustainability is also of great importance, and she tries to use recycled and dead-stock fabrics wherever possible. Sophie also designs and makes her own apparel garments.
Winning an Epson SureColor SC-F500 last year, Sophie has used the printer to develop her own eclectic designer brand.
“I always begin by considering - how to create something that is actually of good value. A beautiful object that’s not just polluting and not just something extra again” Sophie explained, adding “My brand Studio Wantia is no longer just fashion. It's more a way of working to create something of value, in the both the physical and aesthetic sense. Something that adds playful optimism. It can be in fashion, but it can also now be something completely different.”
Sophie creates personalised products and like many of her generation, she shuns mass manufacture. Her work is curated and couture, every element of the design process and final product is carefully considered. She wants her products to be of great personal value to her clients and as such they become treasured items, objects with longevity.
Epson’s gift has also allowed Sophie to expand her business. Interior Décor is now part of her ensemble, and her clients can purchase custom printed, upholstered furniture and cushions. Here again Sophie’s unique eye for colour, form and balance ensures that every curve, be that of a body or a chair, is considered in the design process. Sophie creates artful objects with great flair and her creative journey continues to expand to explore new applications with her Epson SC-F500. We look forward to following her success.
The sky is the limit
Participants in the Epson Design Awards are completely free to design their creations. The final design can consist of, for example, one large dress, or an outfit that consists of several parts. Most importantly, participants let their unique personality, creativity and identity speak in the colours, prints and materials used.
Epson provides the participants with ten meters of textiles on which their self-designed design is printed with an Epson sublimation printer. Of course, the garment can be combined with other textiles or even other materials: the only condition is that it is wearable.
"At the Epson Design Awards, it's not just the result that counts, but the emphasis is on the manufacturing and production process," says Fabienne van der Weiden, co-owner of LABELEDBY. "It delivers unique creations and offers a stage to the talent of tomorrow."
The grand prize at the 2022 Epson Design Awards is an Epson SureColor SC-F500.
The creator of the winning design will receive an Epson SureColor SC-F500 worth 2,499.00 euros and a cash prize of 500 euros. A professional film will be made of all participants and the designs will be presented to the public in the week of the free light art festival GLOW in Eindhoven.
Date: 15 November 2022
Location: Lab1 in Eindhoven
Start show: 20:00
About Epson:
Epson is a global leader in technology, committed to connecting people, things and information using innovative, efficient, and compact precision technology. The company's product offerings range from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, timepieces and industrial robots.
Epson want to foster innovation and exceed their customers' expectations in inkjet, visual communication, wearables and robotics.
For more information, visit global.epson.com.
About LABELEDBY:
LABELEDBY. is a technological research and development agency in Eindhoven, which is engaged in the application of new technologies in the fashion world. Their innovations in materials, techniques and applications stem from practical experiments with fabrics, 3D printers and computers.
They are inspired by the design challenges in their assignments and collaborations and want to inspire others with the promising progression of fashion technology.
For more information, please visit: www.labeledby.com
