The beauty and versatility of Australian wool will be celebrated in Armidale next month, as budding designers of all ages from across the nation showcase their talents in the revamped Fleece to Fashion Awards (F2F) 2018.
F2F is a not-for-profit organisation, which aims to promote the use of wool in all its dimensions, and all stages of production, says awards board member, Liz Foster, who was previously managing director of The Australian Wool Fashion Awards (TAWFA) for more than 30 years.
“This event is set to change people’s perspectives about wool’s place in the fashion industry and along the way we hope to discover new emerging designers,” Ms Foster said.
Celebrity judges for the awards will be prominent Australian designers, Akira Isogawa and Charlie Brown, who will be joined on the judging panel by freelance journalist and regular New England Living magazine contributor, Emma Downey.
The 2018 awards will be judged in seven sections: secondary school students, young emerging designers (for tertiary level students), race wear, active/outdoor wear, sustainable wearable art (using recycled materials), evening wear, and bridal.
The winner of each section will then go forward for the chance to win the supreme title, and $5000 in cash or prizes. Each section also offers $900 for first place and $600 for second in either cash or prizes, which can include a sewing machine.
Ms Foster said the awards were drawing national attention, with 100 entries to date already lodged from designers in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, and Queensland, as well as from across NSW, while there had also be an entry received from New Zealand.
To qualify for entry, the garments in each section must contain at least 80 per cent Australian Merino content.
Liz said the awards also provided an avenue for young emerging designers studying at a tertiary level - many of whom choose to use wool in creating their “end-of-year” collections – to showcase their work with the potential to not only win prizes and cash but also an internship with an established Australian designer.
“A win here could be the first step up the ladder to a career in fashion,” Liz said.
The F2F awards will be staged at the Astra Arts Centre, at PLC Armidale with judging on July 6. The awards will be presented during a gala evening on the July 7, from 6pm.
