ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN wins Zalando Sustainability Award during Copenhagen Fashion Week

• ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN’s approach to sustainability and use of innovative dyeing techniques stood out from the competition
• ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN and Zalando to create an exclusive collection to further explore more sustainable design options
• The Zalando Sustainability Award aims to encourage fashion brands to explore alternative approaches to design and production to contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry

BERLIN, FEBRUARY 03, 2022 // Today, Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, announces ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN as the winner of its third Zalando Sustainability Award in partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week, currently taking place from the 1st to the 4th of February 2022. ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN particularly impressed with its approach to sustainability and use of innovative dyeing techniques. This is the third season of a three-year strategic partnership between Zalando and Copenhagen Fashion Week, centered around the award. The Zalando Sustainability Award aims to encourage fashion brands to explore sustainable alternatives and recognize strategies that contribute to a more sustainable industry.

According to the jury, the collection showcased at Copenhagen Fashion Week displayed the brand’s ethos to recycle whenever possible. ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN will receive a prize of €20,000 and a partnership with Zalando to develop an exclusive collection that will further leverage more sustainable design solutions across materials, production processes, technological solutions and traceability. Zalando will make much of the AW22 collection showcased at Copenhagen Fashion Week available to its more than 46 million customers across 23 European markets.

Sara Diez, VP Category Women and Private Labels at Zalando SE says: “One of the key criteria when selecting the winner of the Sustainability Award was how they combined fashion credibility with sustainability and ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN really hit the mark with their innovative fabric choices which showcased a fresh urban look on the runway. As a platform we want to use our influence to grow more sustainable choices for our customers and it is great to see that many brands want to partner with us in this mission. We look forward to working with ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN to explore advancements and innovation to make sustainability more desirable than ever. With a focus on transparency and sharing information on the impacts of the fabrics used, we hope to make it easier for shoppers to make a more sustainable choice.”

Tobias Birk Nielsen, Creative Director at ISO.POETISM™ BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN says: “I am so proud and humbled to receive this award - it truly means the world to us! It’s been a precious learning process and a great experience to be part of the Zalando Sustainability Award. Until now we've been taking sustainable decisions as part of a natural and logical process, and have been focusing on how to implement them internally in everything from the design process to our logistical footsteps. But being part of this has pushed us to start programming our sustainable approaches, disseminating and communicating them and our sustainable ideas not only internally - but also outside of our little busy work bubble. Winning this award has only made us even more motivated to continue that journey, as well as to chase an even more ambitious sustainable vision for the brand. Everyone in my modest team has made an unbelievable effort to make this happen, despite the many projects we are working on on top of this period with this AW22 show and the award, so I'm truly grateful and really proud of what we have achieved together!”

Jury member Arizona Muse says: “Congratulations to ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN, who put on a captivating and moving show at CPHFW. The fashion industry can learn a lot from the brand’s focus on minimal impact and zero-waste, its commitment to environmental and social responsibility and its ambition to drive positive change through collaboration and collectivism. I truly believe that fashion can become a planet and people positive industry and brands like ISO.POETISM BY TOBIAS BIRK NIELSEN will help us get there.”

The runners-up, Fassbender and Tomorrow Denim were also recognized by the jury as outstanding examples of brands that inspire and integrate sustainability throughout the entire supply chain while creating well-constructed fashion pieces that are wardrobe heroes.

The Zalando Sustainability Award finalists’ collections were presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week’s Nikolaj Kunsthal venue, primarily as a digital show, with a limited number of guests present. All social distancing and safety precautions required in the context of the ongoing health pandemic were respected when staging the event. The collections were also showcased in the Zalando Greenhouse, a digital showroom that allows consumers around the world to discover the pieces and watch the shows as they happened live. The virtual space also hosted workshops on ‘Care & Repair’ with designer and Zalando Sustainability Award winner 2021, Nikolaj Storm, and Danish influencer and sustainability advocate Emilie Lilja, ‘Styling More Sustainably” with Säker Stil and Vogue Scandinavia D&I Editor Mona M. Ali. In addition to the learning sessions, the space functioned as a hub for consumers to learn about the finalists’ sustainable practices.

The Zalando Sustainability Award continues to be a highlight in the fashion calendar, with the SS22 winner Nikolaj Storm’s collection currently available on the Zalando website, and his capsule collection in development for release later this year.