International Woolmark Prize announces global finalists

On the 19th July, Pankaj and Nidhi were announced the finalists to represent India. The design duo were selected as the winner by iconic industry figures, Priya Tanna - Editor-in-Chief Vogue India, Pradeep Hirani – CMD, Kimaya, Simon Lock, Sunil Sethi - President Fashion Design Council of India. " We are on top of the world, winning the International Woolmark Prize, India is like a dream come true,” explained the duo. “There are few such opportunities in the world of fashion that can catapult a designer to a global stage and we are proud to have been chosen.”

“This project not only highlights the amazing standard of design work and craftsmanship from all nominees, but it is a showcase of today’s extraordinary multi-channel platforms of communication with ‘on the scene’ reporting from the judging rooms through social media and live streaming of the announcements, uniting the global fashion community,” explained Stuart McCullough, CEO of Australian Wool Innovation.

The international winner will have his/her designs stocked by leading global retailers including Bergdorf Goodman in the USA, Harvey Nichols in the UK, 10 Corso Como in Italy, Joyce in China, Eickoff in Germany and David Jones in Australia.

Finalists Profiles:

USA

Sophie Theallet creates clothes that stand alone in today’s Fashion. The only path she follows is her own, as each new collection is an evolution of the last, built around Sophie’s singular vision and mastery of craft.

China:

Ban Xiao Xue was evaluated as the Chinese future star of the global fashion industry after showing at a static exhibition held by Pont Alexandre III Fashion Club in Paris in 2007.

Europe:

Christian Wijnants is a 34 year old designer based in Antwerp, Belgium. After graduating in 2000 from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, he went on to win the Grand Prix at Festival de Hyères in France.

Australia:

Dion Lee is one of those rare designers who can channel high-minded creativity into garments that retain a sense of viability, his extraordinary talent for patternmaking combined with his hands-on approach to collection development support his intricacy of vision.

India:

Pankaj & Nidhi launched their fashion label in 2006 and since then the duo has wonboth critical acclaim as well as commercial success, with innovative yet wearable clothes.

The Woolmark Company