Ten Indian designers in Woolmark competition

Ten Indian designers are among the 52 emerging sartorialists from across the world who are set to compete for the International Woolmark Prize (IWP), a global fashion competition.

The competition, which was a springboard for the careers of design greats like Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld in the fifties, has nominated Aneeth Arora, Arjun Saluja, Gaurav Gupta, Pankaj and Nidhi, Rahul Mishra, Rimzim Dadu, Ritesh Kumar, Samant Chauhan, Smita and Himanshu and Zubair Kirmani from India.

"India is a country of extraordinary craftsmanship. These designers will hopefully incorporate this ethnicity to create something innovative and unique. However, the creations will cater to the international market and should be Western oriented," Simon P Lock, consultant on the IWP and a regional judge, said.

"The competition will highlight the importance of wool as a natural fibre that can be used in hotter climates like in countries like India," he added.

The IWP will be held in five regions - Australia, China, India, Europe and the US. As part of the regional competition, the designers will present sketches of the Merino collection comprising of six outfits with one full outfit to be produced. They will be judged in July wherein a panel of local and international experts will review the final products.

The winner from each region will receive 50,000 Australian dollars and an invitation to participate in the international finale.

"These designers should not be referred to as Indian designers. This is fresh talent that will contribute to the world of fashion and they are capable of catering to an international audience," said Pradeep Hirani, Chairman and Managing Director of Kimaya Fashions Pvt Ltd.