At MissMalini.com, we never turn down the opportunity to root for the new kids on the block. It’s wonderful to see established individuals and brands support the next generation as they make their way into the industry. One such brand is The Woolmark Company who organizes an annual global competition for young fashion designers called The Woolmark Prize.
Last night, designers from Lebanon, UAE, India and Pakistan, participated in the regional finals for the International Woolmark Prize at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. The nominees presented their designs to a jury panel that comprised of Imran Amed (The Business of Fashion), Anthony Kendal (mytheresa.com), Peter Ackroyd (The Woolmark Company), Priyanka Khanna (Vogue India) and last year’s Woolmark Prize winner Rahul Mishra.
Of the shortlisted designers form India & the Middle East, the winners were selected as The Emperor 1688 (UAE) for menswear and Bird on a Wire for womenswear (Lebanon).
The event was hosted by Purab Kohli over an intimate dinner, where guests had the opportunity to see Rahul Mishra’s emotional journey along with his winning collection followed by the 10 nominated designs. Guests included Little Shilpa, Ekta Rajani, Edward Lalrempuia, Nachiket Barve, Vikram Raizada, Carol Gracias, Binal Trivedi and others.
Regional winners from Asia, Australia, Europe, India & Middle East and the USA will receive financial aid of $AU 50,000 each to develop a capsule collection for the international final over the coming months. The international finals will be held next year at London Collections: Mens in January for menswear and Beijing in March for womenswear. Team MissMalini wishes all 10 of you the oodles of luck! We can’t wait to see what you create! xoxo
Pix: Viral Bhayani for MissMalini