Womenswear designers Thomas Tait, J JS Lee, Fyodor Golan, Phoebe English and Teatum Jones, and menswear designers Craig Green, Agi & Sam, Kit Neale, Lee Roach and A Sauvage, are the British nominees for the 2015/16 International Woolmark Prize. Originally launched in 1953 by the International Wool Secretariat, the first prize was won the following year by Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent. Revived in 2012, the prize now celebrates emerging designers working with Australian merino wool.
The nominee-reveal coincides with another announcement: the British Isles has been removed from the award’s Europe category and will be judged as its own region due to overwhelming industry demand. Stuart McCullough, managing director of The Woolmark Company, told Vogue: “The UK is one of wool’s most tightly held markets. It is an important market from a trade and consumer perspective,” adding that “It is also the most important market to inform global trends.”
Two designers from the British Isles, and two each from New York, Shanghai, Sydney, Antwerp and Dubai, will each win $50,000 (Australian) as global finalists, with the eventual global winner taking home an additional $100,000. The finalists will be revealed on July 3, 2015.
Credits
Text Charlotte Gush
Photography Mitchell Sams, Thomas Tait fall/winter 15