The Woolmark Company has crowned the winner of the European selection for the 2013/14 International Woolmark Prize as it inches towards the regional finals for Australia next month.
Sibling, a UK based brand composed by Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery claimed the winning spot during the award event held in Milano at Palazzo Crespi.
The brand was selected as the winner of the European selection for the 2013/14 International Woolmark Prize by a judging panel including Franca Sozzani, Angela Missoni, Godfrey Deeny, Tim Blanks, and Susanne Botschen.
The three designers of Sibling, Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery, were awarded for a tailored wool outfit, composed of a knitted bodysuit and jacket. The pieces were described as “masterpieces of creativity and technique, perfectly expressing the DNA of the label: fun, young and optimistic”.
Chosen amongst the 10 most promising talents coming from all over Europe, Sibling has been awarded a financial contribution of $50,000 (AUD), plus the opportunity to compete in the international competition, representing Europe during the grand final event, taking place in Milano in February 2014.
For the next six months, regional winners – from Asia, Australia, Europe, India and Middle East and USA – will be required to develop a capsule collection in Merino wool, to be unveiled during the event which will showcase the finalists selected from across the globe.
The regional finals to select the Australian winner to represent the region in the international competition will be held in Sydney this July.
Eight finalists have been selected by the region’s official nominating body, IMG Australia, including: Alistair Trung, Christopher Esber, Dress Up, Haryono Setiadi, Kahlo, Michael Lo Sordo, Lui Hon, Strataeus Carlucci.
Winners for each region will compete for the final international prize – of $100,000 (AUD) and the opportunity to be stocked in the most important retailers of the world including: Harvey Nichols in London, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, 10 Corso Como in Milan, Joyce in China, David Jones in Sydney and My Theresa in Germany, as well as online.
Commenting on the final event to come, The Woolmark Company chief marketing officer Rob Langtry said the competition is an event which enriches the fashion industry as a whole.
“The International Woolmark Prize is our commitment to educating the next generation of fashion industry leaders about the extraordinary potential of wool. We hope the inherent properties of wool will stimulate the designers’ creative thinking, so they encompass both intrinsic and extrinsic innovations to their collections.
“We wish all the designers participating in the prize this year the best and we look forward to establishing an ongoing partnership with each of them who are the industry leaders of the future.”
Textile fibre brand Woolmark was established in 1964 and is owned by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), a not-for-profit company owned by over 27,000 woolgrowers.
The International Woolmark Prize is supported internationally by key fashion councils including the Council of Fashion Designers America, British Fashion Council, Chambre Syndicale De La Couture, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid and Premsela Foundation.
The regional judging panels have previously included industry representatives such as Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief Vogue UK; Tim Blanks, editor at Large Style.com; Alber Elbaz, artistic director Lanvin; Angelica Cheung, Vogue China editor-in-chief; and designers including Narciso Rodriguez, Richard Nicholl and Giles Deacon.