The competition organized and promoted by the Woolmark Company - the global authority on Merino wool - has unveiled the winners of the 2017-18 edition of the International Woolmark Prize during an event held in Milan. L’HOMME ROUGE and David Laport from Sweden and the Netherlands have been chosen as the menswear and womenswear winners, respectively, among the most promising young fashion designers from Europe.
They have been nominated by a jury composed, among the others, by Damir Doma, Fashion Director and Journalist, Elsevier Weekblad, Tamu McPherson - influencer, Simon Lock - Founder and CEO of ORDRE, Fabrizio Servente - Global Strategy Advisor, Edward Buchanan - SANSOVINO6’s Creative Director, Irene van Lieshout - Buying Manager Womenswear and Lingerie of De Bijenkorf and Tiffany Hsu - Buying Manager RTW of Mytheresa.

“There were so many talented designers involved in the prize; we are really thankful to The Woolmark Company and the support of the award, it was a big deal to come here to Italy and to present to such an established panel and we are delighted to have won,” said John-Ruben Holtback, CEO of L’HOMME ROUGE.

David Laport commented instead “It was an unexpected win but I am honoured to be recognised for my craftsmanship and work in innovation. My goal was to create a fresh modern image of Merino wool and I am happy this was appreciated by the judging panel.”

Both brands gained a financial contribution of AU$70,000 to develop a capsule collection in Merino wool, to be showcased in the prestigious international final together with the six menswear finalists and six womenswear finalists selected from across the globe.
Each winner receives mentoring support from a global panel of experts along with being granted a Woolmark licence.
The winners of the menswear and womenswear global finals will receive a further AU$200,000 to assist with fabric sourcing and marketing of their collection, as well as mentoring from industry experts. During the global final a third winner will also be selected for the newly introduced Innovation Award. In addition, the international winners will have the opportunity to have their collection distributed through the prize’s prestigious international retail partner network 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.