Judges announced for the 2017/18 International Woolmark Prize Indian Subcontinent & Middle East regional final

Dubai, UAE, July 18, 2017:  As the 2017/18 International Woolmark Prize gets under way, the coveted fashion award continues to gain momentum as industry partners, retailers and designers align themselves and their brands to help promote outstanding and emerging talent from across the world.

 

This year’s Indian Subcontinent & Middle East regional final will take place on July 24 in Dubai. The International Woolmark Prize welcomes a panel of esteemed judges to decide which designers will go through to the global final for the menswear and womenswear categories to be held early-2018.

 

The six regional awards will be held in Seoul (Asia), Sydney (Australia & New Zealand), London (British Isles), Milan (Europe) Dubai (India, Pakistan & Middle East) and New York (USA) throughout July and August). One menswear and one womenswear finalist will be selected from each region and will receive an AED 194,000 (AU$70,000) financial contribution towards their next collection as well as an invitation to participate in the international finals.

 

“This year we have a total of 64 designers taking part in the International Woolmark Prize, spreading across key global and emerging markets,” says The Woolmark Company Managing Director Stuart McCullough. “The recent restructure of the program puts a greater focus on the design talent and our partners, and the increase in prize money combined with the addition of the Innovation Award for the global final ensures the award – and its participants – remain at the forefront of design and innovation. 

 

“Our esteemed judging panels and mentors will no doubt provide expert advice to each of the nominees which is invaluable at this stage of their careers. The continued support from industry heavyweights, governing bodies and the world’s most influential retailers cements the importance of the International Woolmark Prize on the world stage.”

 

The winners of the menswear and womenswear global finals will receive a further AED 556,000 (AU$200,000) to assist with fabric sourcing and marketing of their collection and mentoring from industry experts. In addition, both international winners will have the opportunity to have their collection distributed through prestigious international retail partners including Boon the Shop, S. Korea; Boutique 1, UAE; David Jones, Australia; De Bijenkorf, Amsterdam; Harvey Nichols, UK; Hudson’s Bay Company, Toronto; LECLAIREUR, Paris; Mytheresa.com; ORDRE and SSENSE.COM.

 

The Woolmark Company recognises the support of the Nominating Bodies along with Trade Partners for this year’s competition. The Woolmark Company is pleased to have the support of makeup by MAC, TONI&GUY and ORDRE.com for this year’s regional events, along with multidisciplinary artist Jonathan Zawada who created the stunning trophies and decorative wares for each regional event.