Nine Australian designers have been selected to vie for the 2014/15 International Woolmark Prize (IWP).
The Australian regional award will be held on July 15, 2014 and will see the local finalists present sketches of a Merino wool capsule collection comprising six outfits, with one full outfit to be produced.
The collections will be judged by a panel of local and international experts, soon to be announced.
The Woolmark Company has also confirmed that next year, for the first time, two designers will receive the coveted designer award – one for menswear and one for womenswear.
Five regional awards will be held in Asia, Australia, Europe, India, the Middle East and the USA to select the 10 finalists.
Each will receive a financial contribution of AU$50,000 towards their next collection as well as an invitation to participate in the international final.
The Australian nominees set to vie for a place in the 2014/15 IWP are:
Womenswear
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Garth Cook
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Karla Spetic
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Michael Lo Sordo
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Phoenix Keating
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Strateas.Carlucci
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Tristan Melle
Menswear
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From Britten P/L
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Han
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Song for the Mute
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Strateas.Carlucci
The five menswear finalists will meet at London Collections: Men in January 2015 and the five womenswear finalists will meet in Beijing in March 2015.
The winners of both the menswear and womenswear finals will receive a further AU$100,000 to assist with fabric sourcing and marketing of their collections.
In addition, both international winners will have their collection commercialised through key international retail partners including Harvey Nichols in the UK, Joyce in China, Saks 5th Avenue in the USA, Collette in France, 10 Corso Como in Italy, My Theresa online and David Jones in Australia.
Commenting on the addition of menswear to the award, The Woolmark Company managing director Stuart McCullough said it is reflective of the award's success to date.
“The addition of a menswear award for this year signifies the strength and following of the International Woolmark Prize and its impact over the past two years across the globe,” he said.
“Previous winners, Christian Wijnants from Belgium and Rahul Mishra from India, have both experienced exponential increase in the turnover of their businesses, becoming international names overnight after their respective wins in London in 2013 and Milan in 2014.”