Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, Founder and Principal of Interwoven Design Group, leads the 2024 Core77 Design Awards Sports and Outdoors Category which features consumer products or services created to encourage play, movement, or learning. Examples include toys, games, athletic equipment, athletic wear and accessories, and outdoor gear and equipment.

This year's Jury Captain for Sports and Outdoors seems a perfect fit for the role – because she's built a career on constructing the 'perfect fit.' As the Founder and Principal of Interwoven Design Group, Rebeccah's sweet spot is the intersection of design and technology, where she brings deep expertise on human interaction, wearable products, and smart textiles. Before founding Interwoven Design Group, Rebeccah honed her skills across athletic, medical, wearable, and consumer product design for companies including Fila, Champion, and Nike and has pursued groundbreaking research in design methodologies and smart materials. She is a Professor of Industrial Design at Pratt Institute and author of Smart Textiles for Designers: Inventing the Future of Fabrics.

Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, Founder, Interwoven Design Group.

As Jury Captain, Rebeccah seeks projects that demonstrate "genuine innovation… push boundaries, bring fresh perspectives, and introduce novel solutions to existing challenges." She encourages applicants to embrace risk-taking, creativity, and a forward-thinking approach to help their work stand out from the rest.

One of Rebeccah's most pressing concerns as a designer is sustainability: "As we navigate an era of rapid technological advancements, it's crucial to ensure our creations are environmentally conscious, minimizing their ecological footprint." Rebeccah acknowledges that today's designers face the difficult task of pursuing innovation while paying careful attention to impacts on resource depletion and climate change. She also emphasizes the need to continue promoting diversity and inclusivity in design processes, representing a broad range of perspectives and experiences to create effective, accessible solutions.

In her own practice, Rebeccah is particularly excited by a few projects that embody her commitment to inclusivity, emergency preparedness, and boundary-pushing design. The first is Even Adaptive, winner of the 2023 Core77 Design Awards Lifestyle Accessories category. This innovative intimate apparel line is designed to cater to all female bodies, especially those with different abilities and range of motion impairments.

2023 Core77 Design Awards Lifestyle category winner, from Interwoven Design Group, Even Adaptive lingerie for the impaired and everyone else.

Another is the Perci Emergency Preparedness Vest by INVICTA Ready, an all-in-one solution that enables families to respond quickly to natural disasters. Uniting her passions for dynamic sport and design, Rebeccah is also actively involved in developing GLDN PNT, an activewear line designed for Padel tennis enthusiasts.

Perci Emergency Preparedness Vest by Interwoven Design Group for INVICTA Ready

2023 Core77 Design Awards Sports & Outdoors winner Oyster Tempo, by WORK for Oyster

The 2023 winner in the Sports & Outdoors category of the Core77 Design Awards was the Oyster Tempo, a high-performance cooler designed by Work for Oyster. The cooler uses a patented integrated vacuum insulation system, constructed with recyclable aluminum and chemical free Silica to deliver a smaller product with more internal space that keeps perishable items cool for longer.

2023 Sports & Outdoors notable honoree LANDER Skateboards

LANDER Skateboards was a notable honoree in the 2023 Sports & Outdoors category. The deck is made using recycled nylon from old commercial fishing nets.

If you've worked on a Sports & Outdoors project in the last year that deserves recognition, enter the Core77 Design Awards today!