Dion Lee Takes Home The Woolmark Prize!

On Monday night we were treated to a sumptuous dinner and drinks hosted by Vogue and Woolmark to celebrate the unveiling of this year’s Woolmark prize winner, which was revealed to be Sydney-based wunderkind Dion Lee.

The award has held international prestige since the 60’s and has seen winners like Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent in the past- a testament to the caliber of the designers who were under scrutiny this year.

The designer wins $50,000 towards their next collection as well their chance to present their collection in the international Woolmark Prize final which sees designers from Europe, America, China and India as well as Australia duke it out for the top honour.

Lee’s winning design was an innovative and spectacular display of craftsmanship, a beautiful coat with intricate weaving and twist detail that had an almost reptilian edge.

Edwina McCann announced at the dinner that Lee was chosen for the top spot because “Australians really like to win, and we really think that [Lee] can do this for us”. We could not agree more.

Special mention to the five other, very talented designers who were in the running- Ellery, Christopher Esber, Magdalena Velevska, Song For The Mute and Carl Kapp.

Each of the nominees produced a short fashion film to accompany the pieces which were a highlight of the evening.

Check out our favourite of the fashion films below or head here to view them all.