Woolmark Prize Menswear to be awarded at Polimoda

The upcoming International Woolmark Prize Menswear competition, for which the organisation is working alongside with trade fair Pitti Immagine Uomo 89, will be held in Florence. Against the neoclassical Villa Favard, home to the prestigious fashion school Polimoda, the six finalists will compete against one another.

Six finalists, who were all selected during the regional finals of the competition are set to go head to head in the second edition of the competition. The finalists who will be doing their best to impress the jury are: Munsoo Kwon (South Korea), Agi & Sam (United Kingdom), Jonathan Cristopher (The Netherlands), Siki Im (United States), P. Johnson (Australia) and Suketdhir (India). The six finalists were all selected during regional finals in Asia, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe, India, Pakistan and the Middle East.

"Research, young talent and an international reach are the distinctive DNA traits of Pitti Immagine and Pitti Uomo," said Raffaello Napoleone, CEO of Pitti Immagine, on Polimoda´s website. "Our relationship with Woolmark has a long and positive history , and it was natural to join forces on this project. The establishment of this important collaboration for the International Woolmark Prize for menswear is an additional confirmation of Pitti Uomo’s leading position in men’s fashion and its irreplaceable role as a platform for research, promotion and launching young designers".

The International Woolmark Prize was first launched in 1953 as an award for womenswear designers by the International Wool Secretariat (IWS): an initiative that strived to promote wool. In 2014, a competition specifically aimed at menswear was organised for the first time during London Collections Men. The winner will receive 100.000 Australian dollars (71.229 US dollars/46.803 pounds) as well as the chance to sell their collection at a number of leading fashion stores, including Matchesfashion.com, Harvey Nichols and Saks Fifth Avenue.