Aspiring designers will vie for a place in the international final of the 2011 Triumph Inspiration Awards at an event held in Sydney today.
The Australian finals of the Triumph Inspiration Award, a global event which promotes the talents of young fashion design students around the world, is currently in session at David Jones Elizabeth St, Sydney.
Contestants hail from some of Australia's most prestigious design colleges, including the Metropolitan South Tafe in Queensland, the Whitehouse Institute of Design in New South Wales and RMIT in Victoria.
The award, inaugurated in 2008, saw Triumph Australia and David Jones join forces this year for the 2011 instalment. This year also marks Triumph’s 125 year anniversary, and students from design institutions around the world have been asked to create a lingerie showpiece which illustrates ‘125 years of celebrating women’ for the 2011 theme.
The Australian final winner will be announced later this morning, following an award ceremony to be judged by David Bush, general manager of womenswear for David Jones, Talulah designer and founder Kelli Wharton, fashion commentator Melissa Hoyer and Triumph’s head of sales and marketing Karen Ashley.
Bush said David Jones was proud “to be associated with such a significant initiative for young emerging designers”.
The winner of the Australian final will go on to compete in the international final to be held during Berlin Fashion Week in July 2011. Finalists from 36 other countries will also vie for a first prize of 15,000 Euro in prize money and the opportunity to have their showpiece converted into a commercial piece that will be sold in retail outlets around the world.