RLSD Just Had Its Biggest Year Yet — Here's What It Means for LHCA Members

Real Leather. Stay Different. has always been about more than trophies and shortlists. It's a platform LHCA built to put US hides in front of the designers, brands and buyers who will shape demand for the next generation. Six years in, that platform is working harder than ever.

By the numbers

RLSD's 2026 edition generated more than 1,200 entries, up 38% year-on-year, from designers at 400+ fashion schools worldwide, including IFA Paris, MIT Fashion & Design, Central Saint Martins, London, and Academia Moda, Rome. Audience reach grew nearly 40%.

With roughly 90% of US hides exported, RLSD's job is to build demand in the markets that absorb that volume. This year, the International Competition alone drew 300+ entries from 48 countries.

A new regional competition is launched in Brazil

RLSD launched its first dedicated Brazil competition this year and it pulled in 90 submissions, a strong debut that strengthens LHCA’s influence over Brazilian designers, brands and stakeholders.

Reach that outlasts the competition calendar

RLSD's social media following passed 100,000, up 30% so far this year. Reach is now 26.8 million in reach and individual pieces of entry-derived content regularly pass 150,000 views. The RLSD website drew 250,000 unique visitors last quarter alone, generating 500,000+ page views.

More brand and media engagement

Judges and sponsors this cycle included New Balance, Mulberry, and Hugo Boss, with coverage in Vogue, Forbes, and Harper's Bazaar. Feeder competitions in China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Brazil keep converting that visibility into targeted trade activation in the markets members are actively selling into.

RLSD alumni have gone on to work at Christian Louboutin, Dior, New Balance, Louis Vuitton and Loewe and one of last year’s finalists took a placement at Hugo Boss. Several other competition veterans have launched their own leather-focused labels.

Why it matters

RLSD started as a way to prove US hide quality to the next generation of designers. Six years on, it's doing that and more: opening new export markets, building commercial relationships and shaping how an entire generation of design talent thinks about material choice. The entries themselves increasingly understand that leather is the more sustainable, durable and beautiful option when sourced and crafted responsibly.

For LHCA members, the real win is the growing community of designers, brands and markets who see US leather the way we do.