Marina Afonina will head to London in February, 2019, to represent Australia on the world stage.
The Albus Lumen founder has been announced as one of four finalists in the 2018/19 International Woolmark Prize.
The semi-final was held overnight in New York, with designers Afonina and Jacinta Demetriou flying the Aussie flag.
Afonina will join American semi-finalists Brandon Maxwell, Colovos and Willy Chavarria in the finals next year.
The four were chosen by a global power panel including W Magazine editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi, Council of Fashion Designers of America CEO Steven Kolb and GQ creative maestro Jim Moore.
Diet Prada's Lindsey Schuyler, also a judge, said the standard of entries was impressive.
“I was impressed by the level of technical development that we saw, because you often don’t get to see that in typical fashion presentations – it’s not until you touch it and you feel it that you can really understand what people are doing with the fiber.
“Seeing firsthand the development process of the fabrics of the future, and the possibilities of [the designers’] creativity, was really exciting.”
Tonchi agreed.
“We saw some really interesting pieces of technical research from the designers.
“I liked the international feeling of the prize’s format and the way we were able to see fashion as being part of designers’ natural heritage and culture.”
Albus Lumen used small-scale quilting and the textural effects created by mixing Australian Merino wool with linen and silk blends.
“It is extremely exciting to be taking Albus Lumen to the next level using Merino wool and using new technologies,” Afonina said.