As A Young Designer, What Happens After You Win A Design Competition?

The 2016/2017 International Woolmark Prize awards ceremony, held at the cavernous Palais de Tokyo in Paris’ 16th arrondissement this past January, only lasted about 20 minutes. Strobes flashed, music blared and models emerged wearing a handful of looks crafted from wool by each of the 12 nominated designers — menswear and womenswear regional winners from the U.S., Europe, Asia, the British Isles, Australia and New Zealand, as well as India and throughout the Middle East. The panel of judges, which included Victoria Beckham, Hood by Air founder Shayne Oliver and singer Lou Doillon, handed the womenswear prize to Gabriela Hearst and the men’s award to Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty of British label Cottweiler. Houselights on. Perhaps to combat the notion that a ceremony designed to be the coming out party for the next generation of verified fashion talent felt a bit anticlimactic, guests were reminded that Hearst, Cottrell and Dainty would now find themselves on a list of previous Woolmark Prize recipients that includes Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, notable names Woolmark tosses out frequently. They were also AUS$100,000 (about $75,000) richer. “It will technically change the life of the designer who’s won it,” Doillon said of the Woolmark Prize in a promotional video captured at the event. “And that’s extremely gratifying as a jury.” Read more at Fashionista.