On April. 26, at the final leg of the 2022 International Woolmark Prize competition in London, the seven finalists took the stage in front of the jury, composed of Naomi Campbell, Pieter Mulier, Edward Enninful OBE, Riccardo Tisci, Carine Roitfeld and more. At the conclusion of the night’s events, the jury of fashion luminaries jury announced British menswear designer Saul Nash the winner of 2022’s edition of the International Woolmark Prize.
“Words cannot describe what this means to me,” said Nash after receiving the coveted award. “In such a short space of time, I am so grateful for what I have gained in the past eight months. This really is the cherry on top for everything Woolmark has done for me.”
The top prize awards Nash with $200,000 AU ($140,000 USD) and continued support in growing his business from the Woolmark Prize and its partners, including Tilting the Lens, Common Objective, Queen of Raw, Aquapak and Close to Clothes to name a few. Nash received praise for his modern use of Merino wool, bridging a gap between active solutions and more formal requirements. “Everyone did a great job and could have been a winner,” said Tisci in a press release. “But what Saul did, coming from a ballet background to replace lycra with wool, was really incredible.”
South African designers Maxwell Boko and Mmuso Potsane of Mmusomaxwell joined Saul Nash in the winners circle taking home the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation at last night’s special event – and the $100,000 AU ($72,000 USD) that comes with it. “Winning means everything to us,” said the design duo in a press release. “It allows us to continue working with artisans and to further explore with Merino wool, which is fantastic for us. It’s mind-blowing.”
With a history of boosting the careers of top talents, including previous finalist and winners Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino Garavani, Gabriela Hearst, Joseph Altuzarra, Giorgio Armani, Dion Lee, and more, you’ll be familiar with Nash and Mmusomaxwell in no time.
