Woolmark prize winner creations now available globally

Belgian designer Christian Wijnants was awarded the coveted prize in February after impressing an esteemed judging panel including Franca Sozzani, Victoria Beckham and Diane von Furstenberg with his feminine and innovative Merino wool collection.

The limited edition is exclusively stocked in David Jones, Sydney, and will retail internationally in International Woolmark Prize retail partner stores including Harvey Nichols - London, Bergdorf Goodman - New York, 10 Corso Como - Milan and Joyce - China. The Australian launch can be seen here.

"The objective of reinstating this historic prize was to highlight wool innovation at the hands of the next generation of designers," explained Stuart McCullough, CEO of Australian Wool Innovation, owners of The Woolmark Company.

"Christian's collection is a fine example of this as it brings to life woollen yarn, knitted in organic shapes, but with a strong modern twist that appeal at a commercial level," he added.

Key pieces in the collection have been developed specifically for the Australian market in lighter weights for the new Spring/Summer 2013 season.

The capsule collection is based on the simple idea of starting from a single white yarn and exploring all its potential. It works with one type of yarn in 100 per cent Merino wool, on seamless garments, knitted in one piece.

On working with the fibre Mr Wijnants explained, "Merino wool has a natural sophistication, unpretentious luxury, and accessible yet timeless material." Comprising six looks, the collection includes shibori-dyed sculptural knits, circular knit cocoon coats and fine knit Merino wool dresses.

Wijnants adopted hand-knitting and hand-dyeing techniques to inject a deep pallet inspired by crystals and minerals into the yarn, experimenting to obtain unique shades. Every piece was dyed with innovative techniques, and some were unravelled and then re-knitted to create a unique irregular effect.

International Woolmark Prize judge, Franca Sozzani, Editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia and L'Uomo Vogue, described the collection, "Christian invented a new shape and made it possible with an industrial production process. His designs are flattering, feminine and sexy, a modern interpretation of wool."

About Christian Wijnants

Christian Wijnants is an Antwerp-based fashion designer. Born in Brussels, Christian moved to Antwerp in 1996 to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His graduate collection won the Christine Mathijs prize for best collection from Dries Van Noten in 2000.

Australian Wool Innovation Limited