Delhi to Host International Woolmark Prize; 10 Indian Designers Shortlisted

The International Woolmark Prize, known for nurturing talents like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, has come to Indian shores for the first time and shortlisted 10 designers. The Indian designers will compete against each other by showcasing their capsule collections on July 18, 2012 in New Delhi.

Aneeth Arora, Arjun Saluja, Gaurav Gupta, Pankaj and Nidhi, Rahul Mishra, Rimzing Dadu, Ritesh Kumar, Samant Chauhan, Smita-Himanshu and Zubair Kirmani have been selected for the competition, which will see participants from Europe, Australia, China and the US.

The competition is divided into two stages — the regional contest and the final round. The winner from each region will receive 50,000 Australian dollar as a contribution to make their next collection.

A panel of judges including Lock, Sunil Sethi, president of Fashion Design Council of India, Pradeep Hirani of Kimaya Fashion, fashion editor Priya Tanna and a reputed international designer whose name will be announced soon.

The winner will showcase his or her collection in London next year and the final winner will receive further $100,000. The international winner will get a chance to retail their collection through international retail stores including Harvey Nichols in Britain and Lane Crawford in China.

Launched in Australia in 1954, the International Woolmark Prize nurtures emerging designers and highlights the diverse interpretations of Merino wool (a fiber that is incredibly easy-to-handle and versatile) within their collection.