AUSTRALIAN designers Patrick Johnson and Bianca Spender will showcase Australian Merino wool to an international audience next year after being announced the winners of the Australian regional International Woolmark Prize (IWP) award today at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
Bianca Spender won the womenswear prize and the P.Johnson label claimed the menswear prize.
The win was especially sweet for Patrick, who grew up on a sheep producing property north of Adelaide.
“My inspiration came from the landscapes and natural environments I grew up in,” Patrick said.
“I always come back to nature and a natural, simple way of dressing.
“Versatility is wool’s best feature. I work with Merino every day and probably understand this aspect of the fibre better than most.
“It really is the most versatile fibre I know - I love it,” he said.
Bianca’s inspiration for her IWP entry also came from the texture of the land, and was informed by specific technique.
Scarred cracked earth was the inspiration for Bianca's entry.
“(I wanted to) draw from the land, representing the texture of the land in the surface of the wool with quilting, slashing and pin stitching," she said.
“Wool is my favourite fabric, it inspires me to create unique forms. From sharp tailoring to organic draping it has an incredible integrity as a fibre and holds shape at the same time that it moulds into the body.
"Wool has the perfect tone, everything you cut in it always feels modern.
"Australian Merino wool is the ultimate luxury for me,” Bianca said.
The Australian regional final was judged by a panel of international fashion experts including London-based designer Osman Yousefzada; David Jones general manager for menswear Deb Foreman; David Jones general manager for womenswear Sophie Clarke; Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann; Harper’s BAZAAR Australia editor-in-chief Kellie Hush; Manuscript editor-in-chief Mitchell Oakley Smith and The Woolmark Company general manager of global marketing Melissa Grace.
Both designers will receive a AU$50,000 financial contribution towards their next collection as well as an invitation to participate in the global final of the IWP.
The six menswear finalists will meet at Pitti Uomo, Florence, in January, 2016, and the six womenswear finalists will meet in New York in February, 2016. The winners of each final will then be awarded $100,000 and the opportunity to be stocked in leading global retail stores.
The finalists of the European region were announced earlier this month, with two designers from the Netherlands, Jonathan Christopher and Nanna Van Blaaderen, making it to the next stage of the competition.
Finalists from the British Isles region have also been announced. Teatum Jones will represent the region for womenswear and the label Agi & Sam will compete in the menswear section.
Asia, US, and the India, Pakistan and The Middle East region will all hold their finals in the next fortnight.
The IWP is the jewel in the Australian Wool Innovation’s fashion promotion activities, and is designed to generate long-term incremental demand by connecting emerging designers, emerging markets and consumers.
- with FarmOnline
