Woolmark reveals jury for Texprint Award 2014

09 Jun '14

3 min read

Avant-garde fashion talents will join forces with a fashion industry veteran to judge this year’s Woolmark Company Texprint Award for innovation in wool textile design.

The dynamic duo of Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton, aka Agi & Sam, were recently named as International Woolmark Prize European regional menswear finalists 2014/15. Since launching in 2010 the former interns at Alexander McQueen have been called the hottest up and coming menswear designers by the Guardian; had a successful collaboration with Topman last year; and are being mentored by Sir Paul Smith.

In the fourth year of awarding the prize, The Woolmark Company and Texprint teams are excited to bring about a connection between emerging fashion talent and Texprint’s innovative new textile designers. Texprint’s chairman Barbara Kennington says, "So much contemporary fashion relies on great textile design; innovative fabrics can create sculpted shapes or delicate movement, can tell a story or express a feeling. Clothing designers like Agi & Sam are breaking new ground, using colour and textile in new and exciting ways, and we love seeing that connection and dynamic and are delighted that they will be helping select this year’s Woolmark Company Texprint Award winner.”

The Woolmark Company Texprint Award encourages new textile designers to explore the possibilities and benefits of Merino wool. Its recipient is chosen from among the 24 new graduate textile designers from UK universities who are selected to take part in the annual Texprint mentoring programme. The judging will take place on September 17, 2014 in the Texprint village of the international textile design show Indigo, Première Vision Pluriel, in Paris.

Rob Langtry, chief marketing officer of The Woolmark Company, says: “Our aim is to promote creativity and innovation in fashion and textiles which focuses on the use of Australian Merino wool. By connecting the most exciting new talents in these fields we hope to push the boundaries and encourage new creative collaborations, harnessing the integral benefits of Merino wool and other natural fibres.”

Mdumulla and Cotton will select the winner of The Woolmark Company Texprint prize alongside a judge who brings longstanding expertise in both fashion and textile design: Nino Cerruti, the renowned Italian fashion designer and president of the fine woollen mill Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti.

Texprint’s sponsorship director Joanna Bowring says: “We are delighted to welcome Nino Cerruti to the Texprint Village in September. He has a depth of understanding and experience which he is happy to share with the next generation of designers. The Texprint scheme’s success is built on members of the industry passing their expertise on to those embarking on their careers, and in turn benefiting from interaction with the world’s newest talents working in textiles. We are heartened that we have developed increasingly fruitful associations with our sponsors to create new opportunities for Texprint’s designers.”

The Woolmark Company

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