Matohu and Motonari Ono have been selected as Japan's representatives for the International Woolmark Prize (IWP) 2013. The two teams will take part in the Asia regional judging round, which will be held in Hong Kong on July 3rd.
The regional judging rounds will be held in five regions: Asia, America, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe. The winner will receive a grant of 50,000 Australian dollars (approximately 5 million yen) and the right to compete in the final judging round, which will be held during Milan Fashion Week in February next year, during the 2014-15 Autumn/Winter season. For the final judging round, each participant will create a collection consisting of six pieces. The winner will receive a prize of 100,000 Australian dollars (approximately 10 million yen) and the opportunity to have their work sold at famous retailers. At a press conference held on April 24, Matofu's Hiroyuki Horihata and Makiko Sekiguchi commented, "This is a great opportunity to meet with world-class designers, press, and retailers, so we're excited to give it our all. We're challenging ourselves with processing techniques and textiles that can only be made in Japan, while at the same time creating designs that are conscious of the global market." Motonariono's Makoto Onohara expressed his aspirations, saying, "This is a chance to appeal to an international audience. We'd like to showcase Japan's delicate craftsmanship, paying particular attention to patterns, sewing specifications, minute details down to a few millimeters, and the beauty of the inside of the garment, using high-quality materials." Simon Rock, chairman of the judging committee for the three regions of Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, added, "We hope they will expand the possibilities of wool with new techniques and new ways of expression. We hope the three of them will become designers who follow in the footsteps of Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto." The IWP, organized by The Woolmark Company, is awarded to emerging designers who are able to fashionably express the characteristics of merino wool. The first award was held in 1954 and is known for discovering the then 21-year-old Karl Lagerfeld and the then 18-year-old Yves Saint-Laurent. It continued under different names and formats, but was fully revived in 2012 under the name IWP. The first IWP, the final judging session in 2012, took place during London Fashion Week in February of this year, and Belgian designer Christian Wijnants emerged victorious. DressedUndressed, a Japanese brand created by Takeshi Kitazawa and Emiko Sato, also competed as a finalist. The judges included Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Italian Vogue, Victoria Beckham, and Donatella Versace.
