Today, both French-German womenswear designer-duo Augustin Teboul and Danish menswear designer Asger Juel Larsen won the European finals of the 2014/2015 International Woolmark Prize.

Augustin Teboul and Asger Juel Larsen were announced the winners of the European contest in a ceremony held on July 8th, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, after competing against twenty fellow designers.

The jury panel for menswear included James Sleaford (Fashion Editor, GQ France), (Sarah Andelman}, (Artistic Director, Colette), Tim Blanks, (Editor-at-Large Style.com) and Véronique Nichanian (Menswear Creative Director, Hermès), while the regional womenswear finalists were selected by Anita Barr (Buying Director, Harvey Nichols), Emmanuelle Alt, (Editor-in-Chief, Vogue Paris) and Peter Copping (Creative Director, Nina Ricci).



"We still can’t believe that we’ve been selected by such a qualified jury...This is an incredible opportunity for our brand, and we are very honored to be part of the Woolmark adventure,’’ said Annelie Augustin and Odély Teboul, who have been lauded for their experimental take on merino wool, while Asger Juel Larsen said that he is "very happy to have won the regional prize for Europe and to have the opportunity to participate in the international finals".

Both winners were awarded AUD 50,000 (€ 34,500) and will participate in the international finals, which will be held in London, in January 2015 (menswear), and in Beijing, in March 2015 (womenswear), where they will compete for AUD 100,000 (€ 69,000) and the possibility of being sold in prestigious boutiques worldwide, including Harvey Nichols (London), Colette (Paris), 10 Corso Como (Milan), MyTheresa.com (Germany), Saks Fifth Avenue (New York), Joyce (Isetan and Mitsukoshi) and David Jones (Sydney).



In the next six to eight months, the European winners will have to develop a capsule collection crafted from merino wool, together with the selected finalists of four other regions (Asia, Australia, India & Middle East, and USA).

Previous winners of the International Woolmark Prize include Belgian designer Christian Wijnants (2013, Europe contestant) and Indian Designer Rahul Mishra (2014, India & Middle East contestant), who both have experienced exponential increase in the turnover of their businesses, after their respective wins.

For more information visit www.woolmarkprize.com.

Elisabeta Tudor @ MODEMONLINE

Picture courtesy of The Woolmark Company, Augustin Teboul (SS14) and Asger Juel Larsen (SS15).