Words: Dylan Murphy
The London-based menswear designer is up for one of the world’s most prestigious fashion awards.
Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino Garavani, Gabriela Hearst, Rahul Mishra, Bode, and Matty Bovan. Those are just a few of the other Woolmark Prize alumni. The fashion award celebrates the modernity of Merino wool and showcases some of the planet’s most exciting designers. Ireland’s Robyn Lynch is one of eight finalists to make the cut this year.
The successful finalists are awarded AU $60,000 to develop new works around the theme of “dialogue” either as part of their autumn/winter 2023 collections or as a standalone capsule collection for the award. The overall winner receives AU $200,000, while the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation, which is valued at AU $100,000 is also up for grabs.
Speaking in a statement, The Woolmark Company managing director John Roberts says, “This group of finalists represents the next generation of creative game-changers, who all want to design fashion for a better tomorrow.”
The International Woolmark Prize relaunched in 2012 and has since supported emerging designers across the globe. Most recently, Saul Nash won the award for 2022 and he has spoken about the impact it had on his career.
The full list of finalists are:
Robyn Lynch has made her mark through a myriad of designs taking inspiration from Irish culture. She hosted her first solo catwalk in London earlier this year and her work has featured in videos for Fontaines D.C.
Elsewhere on District: District’s Favourite Community Projects of 2022.