STILL PRECIOUS: Kering on Friday announced a second edition of its Generation Award x Jewelry sustainability-minded design competition.
“The success of the inaugural [edition] showed us just how many emerging leaders are eager to drive change and redefine sustainable jewelry,” said Kering’s chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer Marie-Claire Daveu.
The contest was launched in November 2024 in partnership with the World Jewelry Confederation, or CIBJO, and with the scientific coordination of the Poli.design — Politecnico di Milano technical university.
Open to startups and students from 10 universities and institutions around the world offering courses on jewelry and sustainability, it aims to distinguish those who work towards reducing the environmental impact of the jewelry industry in terms of products, processes, services and technology, through innovative solutions.
These can range from innovative materials and advancements in packaging to retail-focused technologies and harnessing artificial intelligence.
Continuing the “Second Chance, First Choice” theme of the first edition, students are invited to create jewelry that reimagines waste as a resource. Meanwhile, startups are encouraged to submit an existing product, technology or service in the jewelry sector that aligns with the contest theme.
Finalists of the second edition will present their projects to the jury during Paris Couture Week in July.
The winning startup will get mentorship from Poli.design, while the winner in the student category will be offered an opportunity to intern at one of Kering’s jewelers, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Qeelin.
Last June, Lee Min Seo, who attended Hongik University in South Korea, and Chinese brand Ianyan, whose collections highlight fractured opals and forgotten, unusual stones, emerged as the winners at the ceremony held during the JCK Las Vegas trade show.
