Deadline Looms for Emerging Fashion Designer Award
Think it takes a lot of moola to start your own fashion design label? Think $120K might let you take your new label to the next level? If you’re an emerging designer and you answered yes, you need to apply for the 2020 Westpac Private Bank Emerging Fashion Designer Award. Applications are closing on Sunday 1 December 2019. The prestigious award, formerly known as the BT Emerging Fashion Designer Award, aims to identify and showcase Australia’s most promising emerging fashion designers and provide financial support, advice and mentoring. Previous winners include Blair Archibald, Albus Lumen, Kacey Devlin, and Christopher Esber.
Prize Pool
The 2020 total prize value has grown to $120,000, which will afford the winning designer the opportunity to push their emerging label to the next level. Previously just open to womenswear and unisex designers, the award has now opened entries up to menswear designers for 2020. The award criteria focuses on applicants’ business acumen, design capabilities, and sustainable and ethical practices.
That $120,000 prize pool includes cash and business services that will not only help elevate your label, but will also provide you with business essentials including strategic advice and accounting, amongst other things.
Deadline for Application
Entries for the award will be accepted until Sunday December 1st 2019. An expert panel of industry judges will then select three finalists, to be announced in February 2020. The three finalists will go on to present their collections at the Private Runway event on Wednesday 8 April 2020, alongside some of Australia’s top established designers.
Award Criteria
ApÂpliÂcants will be judged on:
- DeÂsign of the enÂtranÂt’s most reÂcent colÂlecÂtion
- Styling and fit caÂpaÂbilÂiÂties
- BusiÂness acuÂmen and poÂtenÂtial for comÂmerÂcial sucÂcess in the ready to wear marÂket
- PreÂsenÂtaÂtion
- MarÂketÂing and meÂdia skills
- SoÂcial meÂdia presÂence
- DemonÂstraÂtion of susÂtainÂable and ethÂiÂcal pracÂtices
- Planned use of the EmergÂing FashÂion DeÂsigner Award prize
- ApÂpliÂcaÂtions are acÂcepted durÂing the specÂiÂfied award open peÂriod (until December 1 2019) and in line with the terms and conÂdiÂtions of the award.
Lucas Dawson Photography of ABC.H designs Apply here: Emerging Fashion Designer Award 2020
Don’t forget, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia’s St.George NextGen program applications are still open – until December 15 2019.