If anyone can increase the volume of noise around wool right now, it’s Lantink. Ever since establishing his brand in 2016, his work has turned heads: His 2018 vagina pants for Janelle Monáe’s “Pynk” music video served notice of his arrival, while his runway shows following the label’s 2023 Paris debut have established him as an unrepentant rewriter of the rules of conventional fashion form. Inevitably, he has been strongly linked with creative director roles beyond his fledgling brand.
“For me Duran makes us feel excited about the future,” said Donatella Versace just after presenting the prize. She added: “This was a very strong year for The Woolmark Prize. It was very difficult to choose, but he was a clear winner.”
That last statement of Versace’s might sound like a contradiction, however it didn’t seem like it on the ground. This year Vogue was invited to sit in during the 10 minute presentations that the eight finalists are afforded to show their designs and share their creative credos. This was an experience that left you grateful not to be a judge, because while Lantink was indubitably the worthy-winner Versace described, his competition made coming to that decision just as conflictingly difficult as she hinted.
Every designer had used the AU$60,000 grant supplied by Woolmark to create collections that were both compellingly different and consistently appealing. Luca Lin of Act No. 1’s “classical garments made with freedom” represented an innovative vision of tailoring and outerwear that reflected his own identity and political ethos. Rachel Scott of Diotima declared: “Tensions are what I’m interested in; in materiality, in silhouettes, and in styling.” That interest was articulated in a collection that worked to render authentic a fashion-articulated image of her Jamaican homeland, and also present unfamiliar collisions of material and form, which included a highly impressive “leather jacket with fur collar” made in boiled compacted merino with collar-frothing yarn.
“Whether you are pregnant or want to do Ozempic, everything is possible at Ester Manas,” said Ester Manas during her presentation with life and business partner Balthazar Delepierre. Their dramatically elastic—and therefore unusually inclusive—approach to sizing, as well as the freshness of their philosophy and the wittiness of their rapport made their presentation a standout.
