NEW TALENTS: 12 emerging brands for the International Woolmark Prize 2017-18 (part 2)

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The International Woolmark Prize global final will be held in Florence at
Stazione Leopolda, on 9th January 2018 during the first day of Pitti Uomo. The
awards will go to 2 winners among 12 finalists. Let’s meet the 6 finalists for
menswear.
 

 

The International Woolmark Prize is an annual award organized by the
Woolmark Company to celebrate the talent of emerging designers and to showcase
the most innovative possibilities of Merino wool through their creations.

Before the international final the prize is divided into 6 regional awards: Asia, Australia and New
Zealand, British Isles, Europe, India-Pakistan-Middle East, Usa. Every regional
winner is financially rewarded and can partecipate to the final that for this
edition 2017-18 will be held in Florence. 

The selection phase at International Woolmark Prize

 

The entry to partecipate is by invitation only, through regional nominal
bodies (like Vogue Italia or the British Fashion Council among the others) and
open to brands that have produced wholesale collections for a minimum of 3
years and a maximum of 8 years and are already recognized in their region.
Cottweller won the 2016-17 edition for menswear
Among 65 initial candidates selected by regional bodies were selected 12
finalists, 6 for menswear and 6 for womenswear, and during the final  will
be rewarded two winners, who will both win important financial prizes amounting
to 200000 AUD (around 132000 €) as support for their business, plus the
possibility to commercialize their collections within leading stores in each of
the key regions and a mentoring support to ensure a bright future to the young
designers. 

Another important prize this year will be the “Innovation Award”, that will
be given to the most innovative designer as stimulus to be more experimental  and creative in the design process and textile
development of wool yarns. The winner will receive a prize of 100000 AUD (66500
€).

Here the 6 global finalists for menswear.

ANTAR-AGNI was launched in 2014 by the designer Ujjiawal Dubey, graduated
at NIFT in Kolkata with a specialization in textile design. The debut
collection was presented at Lakme Fashion Week in the Gennext category and the
brand won many important awards, like the “Best Upcoming Designer of
Menswear”
at the “Grazia Young Fashion Awards” (2015) or the Elle GraduateAward (2016). He was also named in the 30 under 30 list by Forbes India 2017.

The designer’s style starts by the concept that fabrics have their own
character that is waiting to be discovered through clothing design process.
Intellectual and with a kind of mystical aura that surround him, the designer
expresses with the label his philosophy, through relaxed silhouettes, raw and
natural materials, simple and smart cuts both for male and female
clothing. 




collections by ANTAR-AGNI


BLAIRARCHIBALD, currently based in Melbourne, is a label launched in 2013
by the designer Blair Archibald, graduated at Auckland University of Technology
in New Zealand. The brand wants to support local industry in New Zealand and
Australia perpetuating the tradition of classic menswear revisited with a style
that mixes tailoring, sportswear and workwear.

Focused on practicality, basic shapes and comfort, the menswear collections
are timeless and often inspired by geographical explorations, realized with
high-quality and long-lasting materials.
collections by BLAIRACHIBALD


DYNE was launched in 2015 by the New York based designer Christopher
Bevans, who studied at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and started his
career as apprentice in a local tailoring house, while explored textile
characteristics and potentiality learning from Jack Sauma of Mood Fabrics, one
of the world’s most important fabric retailers. Thanks to his determination,
restless work and high level skills in craftsmanship and tailoring, Bevans won
the 2004 “CFDA Menswear Award” as part of the “Sean John design team”.
Before launching his brand, he worked as creative director for Nike’s
Blue Ribbon Sports Division (currently Nike Sportswear) and created designs for
Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.

DYNE, inspired by the Greek word for dynamism, meaning power and force,
expressed by a urban street-style which blends sports lines, new technological
details and natural materials.
collections by DYNE

L’HOMME ROUGE is a Swedish brand started as an undefined project by different
people with a common passion for design, society and art. Since 2013 the
project grew becoming a full-range menswear brand. Among the successful ideas
launched by the brand there was also a knitted cap made for the university
students in Lund, Sweden. The original founder John-Ruben and Carl-Johan
Holtback and Axel Tr
ӓgårdh were joined by the
creative director Jonatan
Hӓrngren, coming from the Danish Design School. In 2015 the label won the “Habit Awards Newcomer of the
Year”
.

The brand’s mission is to disfavor the current
trend to over-consumption through sustainable design and quality for a better
future.  
collections by L’HOMME ROUGE
The eponymous label was launched
by the Stoke-on-Trent born designer MATTHEW MILLER, graduated at Royal Collegeof Arts in London. The designer participated to the project “Fashion East
Menswear Installations”
and to “Talents for White”, the
prestigious fashion incubator dedicated to ready-to-wear. 
The Miller’s style is
characterized by an attentive observation of the world, from which everyday
details can become source of inspiration for something simple and extraordinary
at the same time. 
A mix and match of
suggestions, traditional tailoring, new technologies, classic materials and
innovative concepts.

collections by MATTHEW MILLER
Six
Lee was the first Chinese-born student graduated at the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 2009. Previously part of the menswear design
team at Alexander McQueen, Six Lee launched his namesake label SIXLEE in
2011. 
Inspired
by a modern sense of romanticism, by music, flowers and poetry, his collections
mix dreamy details to clean cuts and extravagant proportions, fusing male
silhouettes and female moods into a contemporary and refined style.


collections by SIXLEE

 

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