Australia : US based Public School wins International Woolmark Prize

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US based Public School wins International Woolmark Prize

13
Jan '15

During the inaugural men’s award held at London Collections: Men, US based, Public School was named winner of the 2014/2015 International Woolmark Prize (IWP).

Iconic menswear designer Paul Smith and Tim Blanks, Editor-at-Large for Style.com, sat along with representatives from IWP retail partners to select Public School as the winner.

Public School’s Merino wool collection, that won the prestigious award, was based on craftsmanship and showcased the natural characteristics of Merino wool with an aim to shed light on specialty of the fibre.

The designers explained, “It feels unbelievable to win the prize, as we are the first US winners in the competition so we are really proud and it’s incredibly meaningful to us.”

The collection will be available in partner retailers globally from August 2015.

After a global search, reaching across 21 countries and involving more than 60 designers, five menswear design talents reached the final round.

They include Sise from Japan, Asger Juel Larsen from Denmark, Australia’s Strateas.Carlucci, The Emperor 1688 from UAE and Public School from the US.

Alongside prestigious recognition, the winner receives a financial award of AU $100,000.

They will also get the opportunity to be stocked in retailers around the globe including Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue, 10 Corso Como, JOYCE, Isetan, David Jones and matchesfashion.com.

“The great thing about Public School is the way in which they have mixed the traditional with the contemporary, creating an incredibly vibrant collection,” said Dylan Jones, Editor of British GQ.

Designer Paul Smith said, “What was savvy about Public School was their skill with manufacturing and commerciality.”

“Many items were fully fashioned, so for sportswear they could fit the shape of the body and could work for some of the major sportswear brands. They have already invested in production and USA has a great focus on forward thinking beyond just designing it,” he added. (AR)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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