The designers - who both won the regional heats in America and the British Isles last year which automatically entered them into the global final - had tough competition, but it was ultimately their accessible aesthetic that swung it for each.
"I think Gabriela's very creative in what she does and also very smart," womenswear judge Victoria Beckham told us straight after the prize giving. "Ultimately it’s about being creative but also creating clothes that women want to wear and I can relate to her collection. It was the right level of creativity versus commerciality."
"I think Gabriela's very creative in what she does and also very smart," womenswear judge Victoria Beckham told us straight after the prize giving. "Ultimately it’s about being creative but also creating clothes that women want to wear and I can relate to her collection. It was the right level of creativity versus commerciality."
For Hearst, winning the Woolmark prize is especially apt since as a child she grew up on a Merino Wool sheep farm in Uruguay. The AU $100,000 prize that she received last night (in addition to the AU $50,000 that she was awarded as winner of the USA regional final), will mark a turning point in her eponymous brand's history.
“I would have been ugly crying if I didn’t win! I’m so happy it went that way,” an elated Hearst told us, adding that she hadn’t slept in three days as she brought her youngest child with her from the States who has been jet-lagged ever since. There were no signs of said fatigue however as she presented her collection to the judges, who were unanimous that it was her ability to communicate such a strong vision that won her the top prize.
“I would have been ugly crying if I didn’t win! I’m so happy it went that way,” an elated Hearst told us, adding that she hadn’t slept in three days as she brought her youngest child with her from the States who has been jet-lagged ever since. There were no signs of said fatigue however as she presented her collection to the judges, who were unanimous that it was her ability to communicate such a strong vision that won her the top prize.
“From my first meeting with Woolmark I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve with the collection and that clarity helped me,” Hearst, who by her own admission has been “surrounded by wool all her life", explained. “I wanted to show the ultra luxurious side of Merino and how soft it is. The American market especially thinks that wool is itchy, and Merino can be so soft. When you use it against your body there are so many amazing qualities, like it regulates your temperature, and so demonstrating the lightness and the luxurious side of Merino was one of my priorities.”
In the UK, both Hearst's and the Cottweiler boys’ Woolmark collections will now be stocked in Harvey Nichols, whose group fashion buying director, Anita Barr, has established a process that ensures their maximum selling power is realised.
“What happens now is that they come to the store and we hold events around the winners; one PR event, but then also the guys present their collections to the teams on the shop floor to bring it to life within a space in Harvey Nichols and it goes from there,” explained Barr, who revealed that last year’s womenswear winner, Teatum Jones, enjoyed a 70 to 80 per cent sell-through at the store. Barr also revealed that she has had her eye on Hearst’s collection for the last two-and-a-half years, echoing Beckham’s reasons for crowning her the womenswear winner.
“For us, when we’re building our floors, we have the commercial brands that make the profit, but you also need a number of brands that give you credibility and bring the customers in," she explained. "You know that you’re not going to have the same sell through, but it gives you a profile and attracts a different consumer."
While Gabriela Hearst and Cottweiler are now expected to fall into the covetable bracket of ticking both boxes, they also join a list of Woolmark alumni that includes elite fashion legends.
"I think it’s the heritage that’s pretty incredible when you think back to the fact that when they were young designers Karl and Yves Saint Laurent won it. For the people who took part today, I think they have a special future," womenswear judge, and BFC chairman, Natalie Massenet told us. "Some worked with mills in Jakarta who had never woven wool before, the finalist from Australia, for example, created a form of lace out of Merino wool that had never been done before. The manufacturer is now putting it into production, so what started off as a competition here will probably end up in the collection of many designers. Beyond what it does for the winner, I think having this incubation and level of research, being among the most inspiring young designers and seeing how they use this fabric in the most modern of ways is very important."
In the UK, both Hearst's and the Cottweiler boys’ Woolmark collections will now be stocked in Harvey Nichols, whose group fashion buying director, Anita Barr, has established a process that ensures their maximum selling power is realised.
“What happens now is that they come to the store and we hold events around the winners; one PR event, but then also the guys present their collections to the teams on the shop floor to bring it to life within a space in Harvey Nichols and it goes from there,” explained Barr, who revealed that last year’s womenswear winner, Teatum Jones, enjoyed a 70 to 80 per cent sell-through at the store. Barr also revealed that she has had her eye on Hearst’s collection for the last two-and-a-half years, echoing Beckham’s reasons for crowning her the womenswear winner.
“For us, when we’re building our floors, we have the commercial brands that make the profit, but you also need a number of brands that give you credibility and bring the customers in," she explained. "You know that you’re not going to have the same sell through, but it gives you a profile and attracts a different consumer."
While Gabriela Hearst and Cottweiler are now expected to fall into the covetable bracket of ticking both boxes, they also join a list of Woolmark alumni that includes elite fashion legends.
"I think it’s the heritage that’s pretty incredible when you think back to the fact that when they were young designers Karl and Yves Saint Laurent won it. For the people who took part today, I think they have a special future," womenswear judge, and BFC chairman, Natalie Massenet told us. "Some worked with mills in Jakarta who had never woven wool before, the finalist from Australia, for example, created a form of lace out of Merino wool that had never been done before. The manufacturer is now putting it into production, so what started off as a competition here will probably end up in the collection of many designers. Beyond what it does for the winner, I think having this incubation and level of research, being among the most inspiring young designers and seeing how they use this fabric in the most modern of ways is very important."
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