Woolmark Prize completes global final with New York semi-finalists
The 2018/19 International Woolmark Prize has announced the 12 finalists
who will take part in the global final, set to take place in February 2019
in London, following three semi-final events held in Hong Kong, London and
New York.
The first semi-final was held in Hong Kong, where Zhi Chen of I-Am-Chen
from China, Mooyeol Lee of Youser from South Korea, Yohei Ohno from Japan,
and Angel Chen from China were confirmed as the first four finalists.
They were joined earlier this week by , the four finalists
named in London, who will represent Europe.
The final four designers who will be competing for the two Woolmark
Prize’s awarded to a menswear and womenswear designer, will be Brandon
Maxwell, Colovos, and Willy Chavarria from the United States, and Albus
Lumen from Australia, who were announced in New York.
This year’s competition attracted more than 300 applications from across
46 countries, which was shortlisted down to 42 designers globally competing
for the 12 grand final sports. The aim of the International Woolmark Prize
is to highlight the versatility of merino wool.
Each of the global finalist will receive 70,000 Australian dollars for
the development of their business and capsule collection, and over the next
few months, they will work on their capsule collections featuring six
looks, which will be judged at the February final in London. As well as the
cash prize, the finalists will also receiving mentoring support from a
global panel of experts, showcasing opportunities and a Woolmark
licence.
The Woolmark Company managing director Stuart McCullough said in a press
statement: “The International Woolmark Prize has evolved into one of the
biggest fashion awards of its calibre and so we have restructured the
program to ensure our nominees and finalists receive the highest level of
industry support and guidance.
“The exceptional quality demonstrated by this year’s designers not only
reinforces the strength of the award but also proves Australian wool’s
relevance on the global stage. Wool’s inherent benefits combined with its
eco-credentials provide designers with countless possibilities and I am
excited to see what innovative designs are showcased at the global final
next year.”
Woolmark Prize names New York semi-final winners – Brandon Maxwell,
Colovos, Willy Chavarria and Albus Lumen
The New York semi-final winners were chosen by a panel which included
Hudson’s Bay and The Room fashion director Tyler Franch, designer Gabriela
Hearst, and Council of Fashion Designers of America chief executive Steven
Kolb.
Commenting on the entries, designer and former International Woolmark
Prize winner Gabriela Hearst, said in a press release: “I thought the level
of talent was very impressive, which made it very hard to choose the
winners. What really impressed me, beyond design and innovation, was how
many designers have sustainability at the core of their brand.”
Of the four winners, three were from the US, including Brandon Maxwell,
who has received the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear, the Fashion Group
International Rising Star Award and was an LVMH Prize finalist.
Maxwell’s collection concept was inspired by the country clubbers,
sailors, yachters, golfers and power walkers, and aims to cover the wearer
for any activity utilising innovative knitting technology to create
seamless, luxury, sportswear garments that are comfortable, fashionable,
and high performing, to highlight the technical benefits of wool in the
athleisure market.
“It’s really incredible to win this award because wool is not something
I necessarily knew a lot about and that took months and months of studying
about,” expressed Brandon Maxwell. “It means that we now get to do
something in our company that we have been dreaming about.”
He is joined by womenswear label Colovos, from co-founders Michael and
Nicole Colovos, who wowed the judges with their collection that was
inspired by classic wool sportswear and workwear throughout history. For
the collection, Colovos sourced new wool qualities with innovative weaving
techniques and contemporary finishes that evoke the look and feel of other
natural fabrics like denim, cotton poplin, and silk, for their lightweight
wools.
Commenting on winning a place in the final, Colovos co-founder Michael
Colovos said: “Winning this award is amazing and can really help propel our
brand, so we are super honoured.”
Nicole Colovos added: “We are overwhelmed but super happy and are
excited to be able to bring this collection concept to life.”
The final American making it to the final is menswear designer Willy
Chavarria who presented a sustainable and technically advanced collection
inspired by workwear and futurism. He is working with The Bear Scouts and
the Suedwolle Group in Germany, to source the best sustainable yarns and
suppliers to develop body map base layer garments for both athletic and
leisure wear, for his styles that will combine American blue-collar
workwear with the function of technical athletic apparel.
“I’m extremely honoured to win this prize and excited to explore some
things I had in mind, including exploring European production,” said Willy
Chavarria.
The final semi-finalist is Australian womenswear label Albus Lumen from
designer Marino Afonina, who is proposing to use Australian Merino wool in
a way that challenges common misconceptions about the fibre while
emphasising the brand’s easy, free spirit aesthetic. The all-white capsule
collection, titled ‘Para Interna’ (Latin for Pure Discovery), highlights
the lightness of Merino wool and focuses on the textural possibilities of
the fabrics.
The final Woolmark Prize awards will be granted to a menswear and a
womenswear finalist, who will each win a further 200,000 Australian
dollars, as well as further mentorship from international experts to help
propel their business to the next stage, a Woolmark license, and the
opportunity for their winning collections to be stocked in International
Woolmark partner retail stores including Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford,
Mytheresa.com and Hudson’s Bay Co.
In addition, one finalist will also be selected for the second edition
of the Innovation Award, which recognises the most innovative and creative
wool fabrications, process or development for merino wool. The winner of
that prize will receive 100,000 Australian dollars.
The 2018/19 International Woolmark Prize final will take place in London
in February 2019.
Images: courtesy of Woolmark Prize