The Woolmark Company will hold the International Woolmark Prize (IWP) 2014-2015 Asia Regional Final on July 17th at Toranomon Hills in Minato Ward, Tokyo. A press conference was held in Tokyo on May 30th, where three designers representing Japan in the Asia Regional Final: Kadono Bunzo of AMBELL, Onohara Makoto of Motonari Ono, and Matsui Seishin of Sise spoke of their enthusiasm. The International Woolmark Prize is awarded to emerging designers who are able to express the characteristics of merino wool in a fashionable way. Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint-Laurent are known to have been selected for the first prize in 1954. While the brand continued to operate under different names and formats, it was fully revived in 2012 with the aim of appealing to the luxury apparel market as merino wool evolved and the range of items available became more diverse. This marks the third year since its revival, and marks the launch of the men's category for the first time. At a press conference, Bunzo Kado commented, "I want to delve deeper into wool, a material that is so integral to our daily lives, and present a new interpretation of wool." Makoto Onohara, participating for the second time following last year, commented, "I'm working with a manufacturer in Ichinomiya, but many manufacturers are going out of business. I want to take advantage of this opportunity to promote Japanese craftsmanship. Last time, I put too much effort into my designs, but this time I'm also considering sales and business. I heard that Christian Wijnants won on his second attempt, so I want to do my best." Masami Matsui, who was selected in the men's category, commented, "This is the first time the men's category has been held, and the judges will be looking at not only the creations but also business acumen. I believe I have some of the best business acumen among young designers, so I'm looking forward to it." Also attending the press conference was Isetan Mitsukoshi's Hajime Nakagawa, deputy general manager of the women's and children's wear department, who became a retail partner of the International Woolmark Prize this year. "We are always thinking about how we can provide our customers with high-value products, so we are honored to become a retail partner," he said. "At Isetan Mitsukoshi, we are currently running a campaign to raise awareness of Japan's finest products, and we hope these three designers will do their best to win and have their designs displayed in our stores." Regional competitions will be held in five regions: Asia, Australia, Europe, India/the Middle East, and the Americas. Representative designers for men's and women's collections will be selected in each region. The five finalists for men's collection will compete in the global competition to be held during London Men's Collection in January next year. The five finalists for women's collection will compete in the global competition to be held in Beijing in March. The winners of both the men's and women's collections will receive 100,000 Australian dollars (approximately 9.46 million yen) to purchase materials for their products and support their collections. The winner's collection will be sold at Harvey Nichols in the UK, Joyce in China, Saks Fifth Avenue in the US, Colette in France, Dieci Corso Como in Italy, MyTheresa Online, and David Jones in Australia. In Japan, the collection will be sold at Isetan Shinjuku flagship store.