The International Woolmark Prize, now in its eighth year, has announced
a new lineup of judges for the upcoming ceremony taking place on 17
February during London Fashion Week.
The award celebrates fashion talents working with Merino wool and will
see one overall winner receive 200,000 Australian dollars.
Judges for the 2020 show are: Tim Blanks, editor-at-Large at Business of
Fashion; Hamish Bowles, international editor at Large, Vogue; Sinead Burke,
educator and advocate; Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief at British Vogue,
Kim Jones, artistic director at Dior Men; Takashi Murakami, artist and
president of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd; Holli Rogers, CEO of Browns and chief
brand officer at Farfetch; Anja Rubik, model and founder of sexedPL; and
Shaway Yeh, founder of yehyehyeh and group style editorial director at
Modern Media group.
“The International Woolmark Prize is an institution for the fashion
industry, and I am thrilled to participate,” Kim Jones commented in a
release. “The competition shines a light on diversity and innovation and
I’m very happy to be a part of that.”
Kim Jones among Woolmark Prize 2020 judges
The 2020 International Woolmark Prize will also see the introduction of
the inaugural Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation, a prize given in honour
of the late iconic fashion designer and International Woolmark Prize
alumnus. The award will be given to a finalist who “showcases outstanding
creativity and innovation.” The award, which will be presented by Carine
Roitfeld, editor-in-chief at CR Book, will see the winner receive 100,000
Australian dollars.
Roitfeld commented in a release: “What an honour to be the first person
to award the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation. Karl was always looking
for new talent – a rare, encouraging force, instrumental in the development
of many young designers. In today’s global fashion business, discovering,
nurturing, and providing a platform of recognition for innovating creatives
is absolutely crucial.”
The finalists for the 2020 International Woolmark Prize announced in October are A-Cold-Wall (UK),
Blindness (Korea), Bode (US), Botter (the Netherlands), Feng Chen Wang,
(UK/China), GmbH (Germany), Ludovic de Saint Sernin (France), Matthew Adams
Dolan (US), Namacheko (Sweden), Richard Malone (Ireland/UK).
Finalists have focused particularly on traceability and adding
transparency to their supply chains this year. To support them, the
International Woolmark Prize has launched a partnership with Provenance, a
platform that enables businesses to outline the origin, journey and impact
behind products. Finalists have also been supported by Common Objective, a
global information and sourcing network that enables fashion professionals
to succeed in sustainable fashion business.
Photos courtesy of Woolmark
