Swiss Textiles Award 2009

[Scott]

Swiss Textiles Award
21 July 2009
TWO British-based labels have been named as finalists for this year's prestigious Swiss Textiles Award, to be decided in Zurich on November 12. The lucrative award, previously won by some of the world's greatest young talents, will this year be contested by six international names, including London designers Peter Pilotto and Erdem.
The other four finalists joining the British contenders will be the Onhe Titel duo, nominees for this year's Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund; former Fashion Fund winner Alexander Wang; young French couturier Alexis Mabille and Michelle Obama-favourite Thakoon Panichgul.
The prize - €100,000-worth of career support - will be awarded to the winner at the event, attended by previous alumni including Rodarte, Marios Schwab and Raf Simons and chosen by an industry panel.
DID YOU SEE? This week's best dressed stars...
Lauren Milligan

*vogue.co.uk

 

[tricotineacetat]

YAY!

Ohne Titel are naturally my favourites, followed closely by Peter Pilotto

So happy for two of my favourite newcomers to have received major recognition

 

[Scott]

i think ohne and peter are the only really interesting nods this year. otherwise a bit name-y,if you ask me.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Yeah. I'm a bit disturbed how they would nominate someone like Alexander Wang, who is known to have already made 'it' and turn his design into a business (obviously coming from a wealthy, textile-manufacturing family-background doesn't hurt)... he's proved his raison d'être well enough, as he definitely has found an audience of girls who are buying into his fashions... 100.000€ mean nothing in the development of his line, unlike for people like Ohne Titel or Peter Pilotto... think of how they could further develop their lines with such a cash injection!

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

Won't be surprised if alex wang or thakoon take the prize, sadly...I would love to see peter win!
I
I would

I

 

[StoneSkipper]

Ohne Titel, Erdem & Peter Pilotto

 

[Scott]

ick...so wang took home the prize.

am i the only one bewildered,aghast and even slightly bemused? i mean their reputation in award recipients has always been rather of an innovative and visionary principle. i hardly think alexander wang's virtual line of basics is either of those qualities.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I wrote a comment on Diane Pernet's blog about my strong disagreement with choosing Alexander Wang as the winner for 2009's edition - not only since this year's edition had stong competition to choose from, but also when I consider Alexander Wang's statement that he thinks the money will enable him to considerably take his label to the next step, when Diane Pernet mentioned the following:

'His business is valued at 20,000,000 $+'

 

[Scott]

^egads....that's ralph lauren territory.

last year i think was one thing when rodarte won and even though that was surprising itself,at least it was feesable. they seem to be going in direction i'm very disappointed with. this has been one of the very few awards for young and indie labels,other than andam,that actually has a soul and it feels like it's quickly losing that spirit.

 

[ponytrot]

how sad, I think just in terms of the Award's philosophy - Wang's win makes zero sense whatsoever.

He doesn't need further promotion (his team of it-girls are doing it already), he doesn't need development of his image (he's ALL hype and image)...what he needs is some damn interesting designing ideas!

this is quite disappointing.

 

[Meg]

yeah, what a surprising choice. I mean most of all, he doesn't need the cash. I don't understand how he's even up for these sort of 'newcomer' awards. Obviously this isn't an award predicated on being new to the business, but he doesn't need a cash injection. He's got a well established, well known, and well stocked label.

 

[zamb]

well, this begs this question of how are people nominated for this/(these types of) award(s) ?
because based opon the size of his business, the types of products he makes etc, he should have been inelidgible for nomination................

 

[Scott]

this is the list of nominators which are basically journos and shop-owners from across the globe-

Patrick Pierazzoli, FACES, Switzerland
Lea Gross, Vogue Germany, Germany
Emmanuel De Bayser, The Corner Berlin, Germany
Sophie Gachet, ELLE France, France
Nathalie Pernot, Le Bon Marché, France
Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune, International
Jay Massacret, V Magazine, USA
Kate Betts, Time Magazine, USA
Anita Barr, Selfridges, UK
Miranda Almond, British Vogue, UK
Eugeny Tichonovich, ELLE Russia, Russia
Maiko Shibata, Restir, Japan
Michela Gattermayer, Velvet magazine al Gruppo La Reppublica, Italy
Eun Hwan Van, Boon The Shop, Korea
Noor Al-Sabah, Al Othman, Middle East

and the of course the judges-

Vanessa Bellugeon, l’Officiel France, France
Andrew Bolton, Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA
Tiziana Cardini, La Rinascente, Italy
Claudia D’Arpizio, Bain & Company, Italy
Markus Ebner, Achtung Mode, Germany
Lisa Feldmann, Annabelle, Switzerland
Jamila Halfichi, Asharq Al-Awsat, pan-Arab markets
Kristen Ingersoll, Hearst Magazines International, USA
Evelina Khromtchenko, L’Officiel Russia, Russia
Lauren Milligan, Vogue.com UK, UK
Ben Reardon, i-D magazine, UK
Isabel Toledo, Designer, CU / USA
Mina Wakatski, fashion journalist, Japan

*swisstextiles.ch

 

[Scott]

and just to make comparisons in just the general standards swiss textiles have been known for....the previous winners-

2008 Rodarte, USA
2007 Marios Schwab, GB
2006 Bruno Pieters, BE
2005 Christian Wijnants, BE
2004 Haider Ackermann, BE
2003 Raf Simons, BE
2002 Benoît Missolin, FR
2001 Tran Hin Phu, CH
2000 Daniel Herman, CH

 

[Scott]

and indeed i think the point here is that none of these previous winners garnered that level of commodity as alexander wang does.

and many may think raf before he won was doing well but in reality he wasn't wealthy. he ran a very small business and did not have the level distribution that wang does.

 

[ponytrot]

2008 Rodarte, USA
2007 Marios Schwab, GB
2006 Bruno Pieters, BE
2005 Christian Wijnants, BE
2004 Haider Ackermann, BE
2003 Raf Simons, BE
2002 Benoît Missolin, FR
2001 Tran Hin Phu, CH
2000 Daniel Herman, CH

wow, so many of the previous winners are my absolute favourites, especially Haider Ackermann, Marios Schwab. So sad to see that a struggling, talented designer would miss out

 

[Scott]

the process of having experts make suggestions and then pick nominees seems different to me. i dunno if that was the way they did it before but i do know that the standards and the principles were always about awarding creative and craft-oriented designers who have small,independent businesses with relative attention. i just do not see those qualities with this guy.

and if you go onto the web site you can also see the past nominees which included sandra backlund and jean-pierre braganza in 08,bless,ann-sofie back,cosmic wonder,lutz,toga,undercover,charles anastase,ann-valerie hash,jonathan saunders....that to me exemplifies the substance behind this competition.