‘Thank you to all the people that have supported me from the beginning, it’s been a really tough ride so this award means a lot to me, and it means a lot to the community that I’ve been collaborating with. They should be here instead of accepting this award,’ said the designer Duran Lantink upon receiving this year’s Woolmark Prize last night in Milan. Along with the prestigious accolade, the designer who’s recently been captivating the fashion industry with his convention-rejecting, foam-padded floating designs, takes home a prize fund of AU$300,000 (£150,000).
Lantink was handpicked by a jury of industry titans including Donatella Versace, Ib Kamara (this year’s guest creative director of the event), Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach, activist Sinéad Burke, as well and the brains behind the wardrobe of Ayo Edebiri, Danielle Goldberg, who were presented the eight finalists’ collections on Wednesday ahead of the official awards ceremony. ‘Supporting the next generation of fashion talent has never been more important,’ says Versace. ‘I am honored to be Chair of the judging panel for the 2025 Woolmark Prize alongside my fellow amazing judges. Woolmark has always been such fantastic supporters of the future of fashion. This was a very strong year for the Woolmark Prize. It was very difficult to choose, but he was a clear winner.’
Each of the participating designers - Act No. 1, Diotima, Duran Lantink, Ester Manas, LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi, Luar, Meryll Rogge and Standing Ground - produced a six piece-strong collection showcasing the versatility of Merino wool, putting their own spins on the traditional fabric provided by the Australian company, who offered a research and development grant of AU$60,000 (£30,000) to produce the designs.
'This industry is going through a hard time, just like the rest of the fashion industry,’ remarked John Roberts, the Woolmark Company’s managing director ahead of the finale. 'The Woolmark Prize is our crown jewel and we are very proud of that, but it has to evolve as a prize because fashion keeps changing and evolving. Woolmark connects farmers in Australia with the fashion world, with the brands, and global citizens around the world. But the wool supply chain is under extreme pressure. Prices for wool have been 40% down since Covid and production has dropped nearly 20% in two years. So, we need to support this industry, it needs the creativity of the people in this room to push it and to promote it - to safeguard the sheep farmers' livelihoods,’ he continued.
Dating back to the 1950s, the Woolmark Prize is one of the most venerable fashion prizes, nurturing young talent in the industry. It most notably launched the careers of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, who both climbed the winners’ podium in 1954, as well as Valentino Garavani, who was one of the first recipients. Over the years, brands such as Bode, Saul Nash, and Matty Bovan joined the same ranks.
On the night, the Woolmark prize wasn’t the only award handed out but it was accompanied by the other distinctions handed out by the Australian company, the Karl Lagerfeld award for innovation, won by Alaïa’s creative director Pieter Mulier, for his Spring/Fall ‘24 single yarn collection, and the Supply Chain Award, which was awarded to the Südwolle Group for its ‘constant commitment to innovation and product development, responding to customer needs’.