International Woolmark Prize 2023
The winners of this year’s International Woolmark Prize were announced in May at a special event at which the world’s best emerging design talents showcased their Merino wool collections.
This illustrious fashion award and talent development program generates long-term demand for Australian Merino wool by building and strengthening the reputation of the fibre as the ultimate ingredient of sustainable luxury fashion.
Since its inception in the 1950s, the International Woolmark Prize has been awarded to young fashion designers that have gone on to become some of the most era-defining creatives of their generation: from Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent to Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren.
Relaunched in 2012 by AWI’s marketing arm, The Woolmark Company, the International Woolmark Prize is an award for the world’s most promising design talent. During the program, the designers develop and present their most innovative designs to a panel of judges comprising distinguished industry heavyweights. The designers’ collections must be made from at least 70% Australian Merino wool.
But the International Woolmark Prize program is a lot more than a fashion design award.
The program provides the international designers with education, mentorship, networking opportunities, early-stage funding, global wool supply chain access and commercialisation. Importantly, it generates long-term demand for Australian Merino wool by increasing the knowledge of and lifetime loyalty to the fibre amongst the award’s designers and alumni across the globe.
Furthermore, the phenomenal interest in these awards from fashion communities and media globally has helped put wool back on the agendas of a broader range of fashion designers, manufacturers, brands and retailers, and consequently into retail stores for consumers to purchase.
“Ultimately, the International Woolmark Prize connects our Australian woolgrowers with the global fashion and textiles industry, while highlighting the beauty, versatility and modernity of Australian wool,” said AWI CEO John Roberts.
“The winners and finalists become imbued with a life-long love for wool. Karl Lagerfeld is a prime example, and more recently, Gabriela Hearst – who won the International Woolmark Prize here in Paris in 2017 – continues to be a wonderful champion of the fibre as Creative Director at luxury fashion house Chloé.
“We are proud of the relationships fostered between our finalists, prestigious judging panel and supply chain network. Tapping into these up-and-coming designers and their networks provides an incredible opportunity to educate both industry and consumers of the benefits of Merino wool, driving awareness, education and purchase intent, which increases the demand for Australian wool.”
Aims of the International Woolmark Prize
- Drive Australian wool sales on a global scale.
- Increase awareness of Merino wool and the Woolmark brand.
- Educate and mentor emerging designers about wool.
- Build a global network of wool advocates.
- Generate new business leads for AWI and the wool supply chain.
Connecting the world’s leading fashion designers with Australian Merino wool is extremely important due to the enormous influence these designers have in setting global textile trends for mainstream retail brands.
The 2023 International Woolmark Prize journey
The finalists for this year’s award were A. ROEGE HOVE (Denmark), BLUEMARBLE (France), Lagos Space Programme (Nigeria), Marco Rambaldi (Italy), MAXXIJ (South Korea), Paolina Russo (UK), R H U D E (USA) and Robyn Lynch (Ireland).
The finalists were announced in November 2022 through a PR and social strategy. Local finalist announcements amplified the announcement within each finalists’ city.
All eight finalists were then supported by The Woolmark Company’s Innovation Academy, a fast-track mentoring and education program that offers unparalleled access to International Woolmark Prize partners, manufacturers and mentors across the supply chain.
Each of the finalists presented Merino wool collections that showcased a commitment to upholding the prize’s pillars of product excellence, innovation, supply chain transparency and sustainability. A content and social strategy was used to reveal in video and imagery the finalists’ collections, creating excitement and anticipation in the lead up to the final event and winner announcement.
The winners were selected by an illustrious panel of judges and were announced at a special event in May in Paris, at which the finalists showcased their collections to 600+ industry members and target brands in a showroom format. With a combined total of more than ten million followers, this year’s event talent (including judges and ambassadors) amplified their involvement in the prize to a large and engaged audience.
“The speciality of the Woolmark Prize is it’s the only fashion award celebrating the fibre and materials and nature – the animals, the soil, all the farmers in the supply chain. It’s not only celebrating human creativity but also nature’s creativity,” explained one of the 2023 judges, Shaway Yeh, who is one of the most influential media and opinion leaders on fashion and culture in China.
All the finalists will now continue their International Woolmark Prize journey, joining a prestigious alumni of more than 400, and will have the opportunity to be stocked in some of the world’s leading stores, via the International Woolmark Prize Retailer Network.
The 2023 program in figures
Earned media results:
- 4,600+ media clippings (+56% YOY)
- 8 billion reach (+39% YOY)
- $16.8 million earned media value (+30% YOY)
Social media results:
- 5 million+ social video views
- 4 million+ social reach
- 28 million+ social impressions
And the winners were…
2023 International Woolmark Prize winner: Lagos Space Programme, from Nigeria
Designer Adeju Thompson said at the ceremony that winning the award is a life-changing opportunity for him. “It means that things will be easier for me; coming from Nigeria there’s no support. To have recognition from The Woolmark Company – wow, I’m so speechless and I’m looking forward to the future,” he said.
Judge Elizabeth von der Goltz, who is CEO of fashion boutique Browns based in London and Chief Fashion and Merchandising Officer at global luxury fashion platform Farfetch, said, “[The garments] are crafted beautifully and look like something you could buy in the most luxurious retailers in the world. What I loved was the story behind the brand which is so important, and what they’re bringing to light in their community in Nigeria.”
Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation winner: A. ROEGE HOVE, from Denmark
Designer Amalie Røge Hove said the dedication that the brand has shown towards innovation and sustainability has paid off, and she couldn’t be prouder. “We’ve been talking about how we want to invest in innovation and new things in the studio. Some of these things were out of reach but something like this makes it really possible. It really means everything,” she said.
A. ROEGE HOVE impressed the judges with the freshness of the collection and the attention paid to the supply chain and manufacturing process. “The way she constructed her collection and the emphasis on development. It felt new to me,” said judge Pieter Mulier who is Creative Director at Parisian fashion brand Alaïa.
Woolmark Supply Chain Award winner: BYBORRE, from The Netherlands
Amsterdam-based textile innovation studio BYBORRE was recognised for the invaluable contribution it has paid to finalists across the past few years. “The International Woolmark Prize is an important stepping stone for the industry and a great example of how we can better support and promote future talent who are working on improving the world of tomorrow,” said BYBORRE founder Borre Akkersdijk.
Winner of the 2023 International Woolmark Prize Adeju Thompson of Lagos Space Programme (centre), winner of 2023 Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation Amalie Røge Hove of A. ROEGE HOVE (left), and winner of the Woolmark Supply Chain Award Borre Akkersdijk of BYBORRE (right).
More information: www.woolmarkprize.com
Evaluation of 10 years of the International Woolmark Prize program
AWI’s Measurement & Evaluation unit has conducted an assessment of the International Woolmark Prize (IWP) program’s impact during the ten years since the program was reintroduced in 2012 through to last year’s program, ie 2012/13 to 2021/22.
The assessment estimated that for every $1 invested by AWI over the past 10 years, there has been an average $2.41 return on investment.
2.41
Benefit:Cost ratio
The benefit generated through the project will help woolgrowers through increased demand for wool which is likely to be driven by changed purchase behavior, consumer demand and preference for Merino wool as a natural, sustainable fibre, as well as through partnerships and new business opportunities that are expected to emerge for AWI and for the finalist designers.
The assessment also estimated that there were more than five million kilograms of wool that the IWP program had influenced during the past 10 years.
The assessment also determined that during the past 10 years, there were an average of:
- 300 designer IWP applications per year with an average of 10 IWP finalists.
- 10 extra products per year that each IWP alumni has created using at least 50% wool.
- 60 IWP retail partners per year, who assist with the commercialisation of finalists’ collections.
- 103,890 web traffic users per year (rising from 23,195 in 2012/23 to 225,885 in 2021/22).
- 1,095 press clippings per year (rising from 109 in 2012/23 to 3,016 in 2021/22).
- 50 million impressions per year (the number of times coverage of the IWP program was seen online).
More information: View AWI’s impact assessment report of the International Woolmark Prize, plus reports on other AWI projects, at www.wool.com/measuring-performance
This article appeared in the September 2023 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
