The Jury 2026

	Natascha von Hirschhausen Prof. Natascha von Hirschhausen (Designer / Founder / Lecturer) Since 2016, Natascha von Hirschhausen has stood for a future-oriented approach to design — one that conceives fashion at the intersection of art, design, and research. Every piece begins with a single question: how can a garment take form without causing waste? Her distinctive cutting technique offers a direct answer, reducing fabric waste from the industry standard of around 20 % to less than 1 %, and turning this constraint into the very origin of new silhouettes. Her work has been recognised early and widely: in 2017 she received the Bundespreis Ecodesign, followed by the exhibition Ideal & Mode at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin in 2018. Internationally, she is valued for her visionary approach to design and has taught as a guest lecturer at institutions such as Parsons — The New School in New York. Since 2024, she also holds a professorship for Fashion Management at the mdh Berlin. Natascha von Hirschhausen embodies a new attitude in fashion — one that actively designs change.
	Karl Joonas Alamaa Artist-fashion designer, costume designer, creative researcher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, lecturer at the Department of Fashion Design at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA). Karl Joonas Alamaa (2000) is an Estonian artist, lecturer, and creative researcher currently member of the ArchiVolt research group at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. He studied fashion at the Estonian Academy of Arts and obtained a master's degree in costume design in Antwerp. Working across textile, costume, and participatory installations, he is interested in personal memories and everyday phenomena, exploring the relationships between power, history, and the human being. He is a recipient of the Mathilde Horlait-Dapsens Prize, the JAT Prize, and the Eduard Wiiralt Scholarship, and a two-time nominee for the Silver Needle (Hõbenõel) award.
	Cärol Ott Fashion designer, winner of the EFF 2024 Sustainability Award Cärol Ott is a designer and the creator of her namesake brand carolxott, whose work skillfully intertwines material upcycling with the poetic narratives of the Northern Estonian islands. Her collections are mostly born from industrial leftovers. Cärol also works in close collaboration with the community of Prangli Island, where her collection's fabric scraps are transformed into rag rugs and where warm knitwear is hand-knitted. Cärol has garnered international recognition—in 2018, she won the European young designers competition with her collection "KÕIK ON TROIS!", and in 2020, she was awarded the Silver Needle (Hõbenõel) at Tallinn Fashion Week. In 2024, she was named the Sustainable Designer of the Year at the Estonian Fashion Festival.
	Piret Puppart Fashion designer, lecturer, Head of the Fashion Design Department at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) Fashion designer and lecturer Piret Puppart is a professor and the Head of the Fashion Design Department at the Estonian Academy of Arts, whose work intertwines national heritage and contemporary design. Her approach to fashion is based on narratives derived from Estonian folk costumes and research expeditions to Finno-Ugric tribes, placing sustainability and the popularization of cultural heritage at the core of her practice. She has previously served as the chief designer for the fashion brand Monton and has created Olympic team uniforms for both Estonian and Latvian athletes. Currently, she operates in Switzerland as the chief designer and co-founder of the sustainable accessory brand Cervo Volante. In addition to her creative and academic work, she curates international design projects, is the author of several popular science books, and serves on various design committees.
	Reet Aus PhD Fashion designer, researcher, environmental activist Reet Aus is a PhD-qualified fashion designer and environmental activist, a natural rebel who founded REET AUS COLLECTION®. She is a pioneer in the field of industrial upcycling for fashion, and has developed the UPMADE® certification, in order to pass on her knowledge to brands and factories. Reet’s guiding mission in life is to save the fashion industry from itself, and to show that there is a way of ending the throwaway culture that causes so much waste and destruction around the world. Reet is reducing the environmental footprint of the industry she loves.
	Cätlyn Tamm Head of Sustainability @ EFF, Head of Customer Success @ Yaga Cätlyn Tamm has been involved with the Estonian Fashion Festival for three years, contributing to the development of the festival's sustainability direction and currently serving as its Head of Sustainability. In her day-to-day role at Yaga, she helps drive the second-hand fashion and circular economy movements across both Estonia and South Africa.