Unicorn Fashion Awards: A Legacy Of Innovation,Sustainability, And Emerging Talent

The Unicorn Fashion Awards (UFA) have swiftly become a beacon for emerging designers and artists, offering a platform that celebrates design, innovation and sustainability among fashion enthusiasts. Established to spotlight and support up-and-coming talent, the UFA provides winners with invaluable exposure and esources, propelling them onto the global stage.

2020: A Year of Visionary Beginnings

In its inaugural year, the UFA set a high standard by recognizing designers who seamlessly blended creativity with sustainability. The winners showcased collections that not only captivated aesthetically but also addressed pressing environmental concerns, setting the tone for future awards.

Giuseppe Della Monica: A Designer Rooted in Tradition and Innovation

Giuseppe Della Monica, a young designer from Vietri sul Mare, brings a deeply personal and artistic approach to fashion. A finalist at the Unicorn Fashion Awards, his work is a celebration of heritage, family, and social consciousness.

His early career saw collaborations with Maxxi Rome, La Repubblica, and the Sport Museum in Nice before he expanded his creative vision in Silicon Valley. In 2018, he launched his brand, DELLAMONICA, with collections inspired by intimate family traditions—such as Il Pranzo della Domenica, honoring the sacred Sunday lunch, and 25/04/1993, a tribute to his parents' wedding anniversary. His designs blend classic tailoring with contemporary boldness, featuring puffed sleeves, flared skirts, and rich embroidery.

Sustainability is at the heart of his work, with plastic-free production and

eco-friendly materials. His collections also embrace inclusivity, exemplified by IMMIGRANTS (SS20), a powerful commentary on migration and identity, juxtaposing historical Italian migrants with modern refugees. Through patchwork flags and symbolic prints, he bridges past and present, advocating for equality and LGBTQ+ rights.

Giuseppe’s collections are a love letter to his Southern Italian roots, capturing the warmth, resilience, and beauty of Il Bel Paese. His work stands as a testament to fashion’s power to tell stories and drive change.

Carolin Woitke: Fashion as a Language of Identity and Empowerment

Carolin Woitke, the first runner-up of UFA 2020, views fashion as more than just clothing—it’s a means of communication in an increasingly disconnected world. Now collaborating with Dare Clan to launch a capsule collection of outerwear and expand its presence in Germany, she remains committed to her core values: quality, loyalty, honesty, and attention to detail.

Her work is deeply personal, inspired by emotions and experiences that shape her collections. Whether empowering individuals or challenging societal norms, her designs embody strength and vulnerability. Feminism and inclusivity are central to her vision, aiming to help individuals embrace their identities without external constraints.

Carolin’s career has been shaped by collaborations with industry giants like Gianfranco Ferré, Max Mara, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Jil Sander. These experiences reinforced her appreciation for craftsmanship, sustainability, and the balance between tradition and innovation.

Her projects, such as Art.ificial, explore themes of artificiality in fashion, utilizing self-colored latex to sculpt around the female form. Other collections, like Who Knows and Homecoming_, reflect her evolution as both a designer and an individual. Having worked in different European fashion hubs, she blends Berlin’s alternative and sustainable influences with Italy’s rich sartorial heritage, emphasizing both comfort and luxury.

Ultimately, Carolin aspires to create a space where passionate individuals collaborate to push the boundaries of fashion while uplifting others. Her designs are not just garments—they are stories, emotions, and statements of empowerment.

Anastasia Chebotareva: The Magpie of Fashion SECOND RUNNER UP UFA 2020

Our second runner up of UFA 2020, born in Russia, living in the land of Botticelli absorbing Italian romanticism and with London fever in her heart, Anastasia and her work, both are driven by eclectic cultural diversity. Anastasia is attempting to redefine couture by experimenting and combining artisan techniques with high fashion.

A Central Saint Martins-trained textile designer and MA Alta Moda graduate from Accademia Costume e Moda, she’s all about fusing high fashion with artisan techniques, adding a dose of humour, and making couture a little less precious and a lot more audacious.

Her latest project, Magpie, is a rebellious take on fashion’s obsession with luxury. Inspired by Eastern European folklore, it channels the bird’s infamous penchant for shiny objects—except instead of just hoarding, Anastasia transforms everyday materials into couture-worthy statements.

Anastasia’s creative process is as delightfully chaotic as her work. Slow fashion, personal craftsmanship, and an experimental spirit drive her work. She believes fashion should be treasured like art, not churned out and discarded. A space where fashion meets the art world—painting, sculpting, and designing not just clothing but the environments they exist in. She isn’t just designing clothes; she’s creating a conversation—loud, bold, and impossible to ignore.

WINNERS – UNICORN FASHION AWARDS 2021

The winners of the Unicorn Fashion Awards 2021—KoH T, Mikage Shin, and Hyunwook Jo— demonstrate the continued significance of Japanese and Asian influences in global fashion.

Their designs merge tradition with contemporary innovation, offering fresh perspectives on style and functionality. Asian fashion continues to redefine the industry, introducing new concepts and blending cultural heritage with modern urban landscapes. Tokyo remains a key hub, integrating craftsmanship, technology, and lifestyle in shaping the future of fashion. These designers exemplify how cultural exchange fuels creativity, pushing fashion into new territories where history, craftsmanship, and modernity coexist.

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KoH T, inspired by 16th-century Japanese craftsman Hon'ami Koetsu, designed a collection using black Japanese paper, combining artisanal techniques with urban luxury. His work will also be featured in the EurAsian Forum 2022 to strengthen EU-Asia fashion connections.

Mikage Shin’s collection, The Process, reflects transformation and reinvention, using unique prints, weaves, and silhouettes for both men and women. Her South Korean-Japanese brand embraces the concept of “repurpose,” redefining traditional elements in new ways.

Hyunwook Jo presents a youthful yet sophisticated take on textile innovation, merging the classic Houndstooth pattern with Burberry Tartan. His collection highlights contemporary craftsmanship through highquality materials and refined production techniques.

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UFA 2022 WINNERS

The Unicorn Fashion Awards (UFA) 2022, organized by DARE CLAN Magazine and ERA-KI, is a global platform dedicated to discovering and promoting emerging fashion talents. UFA continues to support emerging talents by offering them visibility and brand development opportunities, ensuring that voices like Majer’s reach international audiences and redefine the future of fashion.

PAUL MAJER

2022's winner, Paul Majer, embodies the competition’s mission—blending creativity, sustainability, and innovation to shape the future of fashion. Majer’s journey into fashion is unconventional. Originally a tattoo artist, his artistic background led him to explore new ways of expressing creativity. After traveling across Europe, he moved to Milan to refine his skills at Istituto Marangoni, recognizing that breaking into the industry requires both talent and exposure.

His winning collection, “404 Page Not Found”, challenges unsustainable consumption and offers a solution—multi-functional, multi-seasonal pieces made from sustainable fabrics. Majer is known for his bold contrasts, unexpected material choices, and commitment to low-impact fashion, reinforcing the idea that sustainability is not just a trend but the future of the industry.

For Majer, fashion and tattooing share a common thread—adorning the human body. His transition was seamless on the design side, thanks to years of experience with composition, color theory, and precision. The technical aspects, like pattern cutting and sewing, required more learning, but his hands-on approach and patience made the process rewarding.

Inspiration fuels his creative process. Whether cycling, running, or absorbing cultural influences from films and music, Majer lets ideas evolve organically. His method involves blending seemingly unrelated elements, creating designs that feel fresh yet deeply rooted in personal and cultural narratives.

As the industry shifts towards low-impact fashion, Majer sees opportunity in small brands and independent designers who can innovate beyond corporate constraints. With his bold vision and sustainable approach, he represents a new generation of designers reshaping fashion with both artistic integrity and environmental responsibility.

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