MILAN — Donatella Versace might have stepped off the runway to embrace a new role as Versace’s chief brand ambassador but her sight is still firm on clothes. Only this time she is called to assess those of emerging brands, as she has been named chair of judges of the 2025 International Woolmark Prize.
The jury, which was revealed on Thursday, is made up of 10 other personalities from the industry tasked with deciding the winner of the contest launched by the global wool authority, which will be named in a ceremony in Milan on April 2.
The panel of judges will include Zegna’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori; Off-White’s art and image director Ib Kamara, who is also the contest’s guest artistic director this year; Alessandro Dell’Acqua, founder and creative director of No. 21; image architect Law Roach; celebrity stylist and brand consultant Danielle Goldberg; Roopal Patel, senior vice president, fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue; Sinéad Burke, educator, advocate and founder of Tilting the Lens; DJ, producer and artist Honey Dijon; fashion writer Tim Blanks and Simone Marchetti, who’s Vanity Fair’s European editorial director and Vanity Fair Italia’s editor in chief.
“Supporting the next generation of fashion talent has never been more important. I am so excited to host the Woolmark Prize in our home city of Milan and to meet the designers selected. I am sure they will all be winners in their own way,” said Versace, praising Woolmark for “always been such fantastic supporters of the future of fashion.”
The panel of judges of the 2025 the International Woolmark Prize jury.
Courtesy of International Woolmark Prize
As reported, the eight finalists competing for the award are Dutch designer Duran Lantink; Raul Lopez of New York label Luar; Rachel Scott of Diotima; Michael Stewart of London-based Standing Ground; Louis Gabriel Nouchi from Paris; Luca Lin of Act No.1; Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre of Ester Manas, and Meryll Rogge, former head of design for womenswear at Dries Van Noten.
The winner will take home a cash prize of 300,000 Australian dollars, or around $195,000, 50 percent more than in previous years.
Two industry awards will also be presented at the final event. The Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation will be given to a brand or individual within the fashion industry that has pushed the boundaries of merino wool innovation, while the Supply Chain Award will recognize a member of the supply chain who has demonstrated leadership and innovation in sustainable practices.
Moreover, all the finalists will have the opportunity to be stocked at leading global retailers via the International Woolmark Prize Retailer Network.
For the contest, each finalist received 60,000 Australian dollars to create a six-look merino wool capsule either as part of their fall 2025 collection, or in a stand-alone format.
Woolmark said the designs had to highlight merino wool’s versatility, innovative nature and have eco-credentials. At least one look had to be presented exclusively as part of the International Woolmark Prize.
During the development of the collections the eight finalists had access to industry mentors including stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and fashion editor Sara Sozzani Maino, in addition to Burke and Patel.
The upcoming final event will mark the first edition of the International Woolmark Prize in its new biannual format. The fashion competition had been held annually since its relaunch in 2012 but last year it has been extended to a two-year program with an enhanced focus on sustainability and innovation.
At the same time, the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation was open to any brand within the fashion industry for the first time, while previously it only went to emerging fashion labels.
Lagos Space Programme, a Nigeria-based label that seeks to challenge the image of African fashion with designs rooted in Yoruba tradition and queer identity, was named the winner of the 2023 International Woolmark Prize in May 2023. The Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation went to Danish knitwear brand A. Roege Hove.
Previous winners of the International Woolmark Prize include Saul Nash, Matty Bovan, Richard Malone, Bode, Rahul Mishra, Edward Crutchley and Matthew Miller, as well as the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino Garavani.
