An emerging designer competition which has helped launch over 140 young Australian labels, has crowned its 2012 winners.
The Debut competition, run as part of the Fashion Exposed trade fair, has selected two fledgling fashion brands as winners of this season’s Debut awards.
Melbourne-based women's fashion label A Part of Me (APOM), created by design duo Kate Brook and Kajsa Kvernmo, took out the top spot for the Debut apparel category with the APOM winter range for 2013, titled ‘Lotta Leaves Home’.
The range pays homage to the characters of the story books by Swedish author, Astrid Lindgren, and melds the imagery and ethos of childhood stories onto smooth silhouettes, using artisan, textural techniques such as hand felted silk.
Similarly, textile designer Penelope Gibb, who has has previously worked in Singapore and New York won the Debut accessories category through her accessory brand Hokum Scarves.
Hokum’s first collection ‘The Grand Tour’ features vibrant and bold silk prints, inspired by travel in the early part of the last century.
Each piece in the range incorporates sumptuous imagery and vibrant colours – bright reds, fuchsia and amber, mixed with with sky blues and dusky greys.
Both winners have been granted a prize package including a stand at the next Fashion Exposed event valued at $3,000 and annual subscription to Fashion Trend Magazine.
Debut has previously acted as a launch pad for several Australian labels, which are now well-known, including Alexi Freeman, Limedrop, Trimapee, Subfusco, Catherine Leon and Since Grey.
To view the Debut winner's and finalist's collections, head to ragtrader.com.au's Facebook page.