Indian designer brands Antar-Agni and Bodice have been named the menswear and womenswear winners respectively of the 2017-18 International Woolmark Prize Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East regional final.
The event was held the FIVE Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
"The International Woolmark Prize is always a great experience; the judging gets tougher every year as the quality of work from designers nominated keeps getting better," Manish Malhotra, one of the judges at the contest, said in a statement.
Apart from Malhotra, the panel comprised Alison Tay - Editor, Grazia Middle East; Che Kurrien - Editor, GQ India; Nonita Kalra - Editor, Harper's Bazaar India; Daniel Higgins - Fashion Editor, Esquire Middle East; Kirsten Lock - Fashion Director, ORDRE.COM; Laura Larbalestier - Buying Director, Boutique 1; and John Roberts - General Manager Eastern Hemisphere, The Woolmark Company.
"Young designers are now expressing themselves through their work in a way like never before. While womenswear winner Bodice scored high on adaptability, commercial viability and creativity of the look, menswear winner Antar-Agni created something true to his belief," Malhotra added.
Inspired by nomadic tribesmen from across India, Antar-Agni's winning menswear look was created using multiple layers of woven twill, selected for its superior drape and comfort.
Talking about his winning collection, Ujjawal Dubey of Antar-Agni, said: "We wanted to play with the idea of creating comfort clothing for the new-age man who juggles several roles. Think banker-by-day, traveller-by-the-weekend."
The designer says he has developed a newfound appreciation for "this incredible fibre".
Bodice's winning look took inspiration from the 18th century costumes of Indian nautch girls, contrasted by modern menswear tailoring. The wool fibre and the fabric were developed and finished in five different parts of India, highlighting indigenous and age-old crafts in a contemporary Bodice rendition.
"I am truly honoured to win this award because it gives Bodice the opportunity for real global expansion and provides the funding to allow me to create an incredible collection," said Bodice's Ruchika Sachdeva.
Both winners gain a financial contribution, plus the opportunity to compete in the international final. In addition, each winner will receive mentoring support from a global panel of experts along with being granted a Woolmark license.
For the next six to seven months, the winning designers will be required to develop a capsule collection in Merino wool, to be showcased at an event that will highlight the six menswear finalists and six womenswear finalists selected from across the globe.
The winners of the menswear and womenswear global finals will receive more financial support to assist with fabric sourcing and marketing of their collection, as well as mentoring from industry experts.