COTTWEILER’S WOOLMARK PRIZE-WINNING COLLECTION LANDS IN STORES

The capsule collection that won London-based menswear label Cottweiler the 2016/17 International Woolmark Prize has launched at leading boutiques around the world this month via the International Woolmark Prize retail partner network.

Pieces from the limited-edition collection, designed by Matthew Dainty and Ben Cottrell are available to buy online on Ssense.com as well as in Harvey Nichols (London), L’Eclaireur (Paris), Hudson’s Bay (Toronto), Isetan (Tokyo) and David Jones (Sydney).

“We underestimated the amount of exposure winning the International Woolmark Prize would give us to such a wide and different audience to what we’re used to,” said Dainty. “The amount of press it has gained has been incredible for us, and to happen on a global level, this huge amount of interest – because it’s such a prestigious prize and because of the final setting at Palais de Tokyo – is incredible. It really opens up our label to a new customer as well as to the stockists of the International Woolmark Prize collection.”

Cottweiler’s winning International Woolmark Prize collection comprises sheer Merino wool base-layers, windproof mid-layers and quilted waterproof outerwear, with wool-blend fabrics ranging from 18.5 microns through to 19.5 microns, and recycled wool scraps used for insulation.

The resultant collection brings Cottweiler’s brand of fetish-infused cult and tribe codes into the world of wool, with utilitarian detailing – padded hoods, detachable cargo pockets, running caps, and elasticized hems and cuffs, for example – at its core.

“There was a very loose reference to travel, so we wanted lightweight pieces that could take you through different climates, that could be packable and not too heavy,” added Cottrell. “We also created a fitted gilet, which comprises all of the offcuts of the collection as its filling, so no piece of fabric used in the making of the collection has gone to waste.”