An RMIT student's global win for local fashion sustainability

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An RMIT student's global win for local fashion sustainability

A third-year Fashion Enterprise student won the 2025 Society of Dyers and Colourists International Design Competition.

Veronica Duong Ho Van Anh, won the 2025 edition of the Society of Dyers and Colourists International Design Competition. Her project has shown that the sustainable goal of employing natural dyes and fabrics is closer than ever for local practitioners.

The International Design Competition is a prestigious platform for global fashion design enthusiasts to express creative thinking and freely experiment with sustainable dyeing materials. With the 2025 theme “Creativity in Adversity,” Veronica was encouraged by her lecturer, Ms. Cheryl Prendergast, to find inspiration from daily challenges. Kombucha leather had been chosen as the main material for her project, a bold and distinctive approach, presenting sustainability in a way that moves away from cliches by grounding it in the local context.

A new approach to fashion production

Veronica transformed SCOBY, an acronym for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, from fermented tea into fabric by dyeing, layering and drying the material. While the use of natural materials in fashion is not new, the uniqueness of her project lies in reusing SCOBY, an approach which results in minimal waste, mitigating the environmental damage so prevalent across global fashion production.

“The process is not perfect,” Veronica admitted. For a student, maintaining the kombucha leather is both time-consuming and technically demanding, particularly during the drying stage. She had to carefully control moisture levels to achieve the ideal dryness and ensure the material’s usability by preventing mould growth, which forced her to restart the process several times. Still, despite some setbacks, her perseverance paid off.

02 July 2026

A person stands in front of a black background, holding two boards displaying fashion sketches, fabric samples, and images, with another board on an easel featuring drawings and vibrant fruit imagery.

From the classroom to global impact

The international recognition of the project affirms the competitive potential of Vietnamese sustainable fashion in global conversations, especially through innovative waste-utilisation SCOBY to replace synthetic cottons that is putting great pressure on the environment. She has demonstrated the strength, durability and biodegradability of the material.

Veronica coloured the Kombucha leather with natural dyes collected in her daily surroundings, emphasising the commercial potential of the material and the diversity of local dye resources. Her work reinforces that the Vietnamese fashion industry has the potential to be sustainable, with abundant local resources and dyeing techniques. Local sustainable solutions can originate from easily accessible materials and remain viable at large-scale production.

The impact of authentic learning

According to Veronica, the course Fashion and Textiles broadened her perspective on dyeing techniques. As Veronica noted, “Back then, I was not interested in natural dye because the first thing that came to mind was indigo dye, which is already common knowledge.” Her lecturer, Ms. Cheryl, showed her new and authentic approaches, igniting her enthusiasm. The integration of practical content, from natural dyeing techniques and materials to experimenting with kombucha-based ingredients, allowed her to develop the skills that eventually led to this award winning project.

Her instructors also encouraged her to explore and learn from mistakes, turning challenges into opportunities. Like many RMIT Fashion Enterprise students, Veronica pursued sustainable dyeing practices that showcase not only her individual creativity but also her vision of sustainability for the fashion industry. Her award winning work reflects the core values nurtured by both the program and RMIT University's long-term commitment to sustainability.

Authors: Nguyễn Như Quỳnh, Võ Nguyễn Quỳnh Như, Hoàng Hải My, Phạm Thị Ngọc Thi

An RMIT student's global win for local fashion sustainability