LONDON — The International Woolmark Prize is going biannual this year, with the cash price for the winner going up 50 percent to 300,000 Australian dollars, or around $195,000.
Opening for application from Tuesday until June 30, the fashion competition, which has been held annually since its relaunch in 2012, is being extended to a two-year program from this edition with an enhanced focus on sustainability and innovation.
At the same time, the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation will be open to any brand within the fashion industry that has pushed the boundaries of merino wool innovation for the first time. Previously, the award only went to emerging fashion labels.
An advisory council of industry experts that includes Gabriela Hearst, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Sinéad Burke, Janet Wang, Livia Firth and Sara Sozzani Maino will select the finalists alongside Woolmark.
John Roberts, managing director at Woolmark, which helps some 60,000 Australian woolgrowers promote their products, said the change in the prize structure can better support young talent under the current challenging economic climate.
“To do this effectively, designers need more financial support, better access to sustainable materials and time to innovate with the latest technology. Our revised program aligns more closely with the evolving needs of the industry,” Roberts said.
Adeju Thompson of Lagos Space Programme attends the International Woolmark Prize 2023.
Getty Images/Courtesy of The Woolmark Company
Lagos Space Programme, a Nigeria-based label that seeks to challenge the image of African fashion with designs rooted in Yoruba tradition and queer identity, was named the winner of the 2023 International Woolmark Prize last May. The Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation went to Danish knitwear brand A. Roege Hove.
Previous winners of the International Woolmark Prize include Saul Nash, Matty Bovan, Richard Malone, Bode, Rahul Mishra, Edward Crutchley and Matthew Miller, as well as Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino Garavani.