SUKETDHIR and Taller Marmo were announced as the menswear and womenswear winners, respectively, of the 2015/16 International Woolmark Prize India, Pakistan and the Middle East regional final, at a glitzy awards event held at the Manzil hotel in Dubai. For those of you who are not aware, the International Woolmark Prize is one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in the fashion world. The first recipient of this award being Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel.
The Judges
A judging panel comprising Nez Gebreel, CEO, Dubai Design & Fashion Council; Osman Yousefzada, Designer; Bridget Cosgrave, Fashion and Buying Director, Boutique 1; Louise Nichol, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia; Melissa Grace, The Woolmark Company; Che Kurrien, Editor, GQ India and Alison Tay, Editor-in-Chief, Grazia Middle East, selected SUKETDHIR as the menswear winner and Taller Marmo as the winner for the womenswear category.
Nez Gebreel, CEO of Dubai Design and Fashion Council, commented, “This is a prize that educates and supports designers throughout the design process in its entirety, aligning with the council’s mandate to nurture emerging talent so they have an opportunity to flourish. I was extremely impressed with the creativity of the finalists and how they incorporated Merino wool into their designs; the designers have created pieces which truly demonstrate the wealth of talent we have in this region.”
What Won It For Them?
SUKETDHIR impressed the judges with unique merino fabric developments and hand woven techniques were presented passionately; representing the region brilliantly while UAE based Taller Marmo showed a truly exciting collection with a very international perspective.
Menswear category winner Suket Dhir said
I am extremely proud to have received this accolade from such a prestigious institution, particularly when taking into account all the amazing designers that have come before me. I am so grateful to The Woolmark Company for creating this wonderful platform to support designers.
Womenswear winners Yago and Ricardo behind Taller Marmo said
Climbing is the only cure for gravity.To be honoured with such an award, from such a distinguished jury, is overwhelming. Now, we are looking towards the international Womenswear final in New York; truly excited to see what lies ahead as a result of this opportunity.”
Chosen from amongst the 11 most promising talents in India, Pakistan and the Middle East fashion design, both winners gain a financial contribution of AED 136,112, plus the opportunity to represent India, Pakistan and the Middle East and compete in the prestigious international final. The final for menswear will be held in Florence in January 2016, and the womenswear final will be held in New York in February 2016.
What Next?
For the next six to seven months, the winning designers will be required to develop a capsule collection in Merino wool, to be showcased at one of two extraordinary events that will highlight the six menswear finalists and six womenswear finalists selected from across the globe.
The finalists will compete for the coveted International Woolmark Prize, the winners being awarded an additional AED 272,224, and the opportunity to be stocked in the most important retailers of the world, including Harvey Nichols (London), 10 Corso Como (Milan, Beijing and Shanghai), Matchesfashion.com (online), Mytheresa.com (online), Saks Fifth Avenue (NYC), Joyce (China), Boutique 1 (UAE) and David Jones (Australia).
B-Change spoke to the winners exclusively about their creative processes. Watch this space for the interviews soon!