Lagos Space Programme has won the International Woolmark Prize 2023

At an event held yesterday in Paris, Lagos Space Program from Nigeria and A.ROEGE HOVE from Denmark were announced as winners of the International Woolmark Prize 2023 and the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation, respectively. The former will receive a prize of €130,000 while the latter will receive €65,000; also celebrating is BYBORRE, which took home the Supply Chain Award. Judging the winners was a panel of judges consisting of Alessandro Sartori, Carine Roitfeld, Caroline de Maigret, Elizabeth von der Goltz, Francesco Risso, John Roberts, Pieter Mulier, Salehe Bembury, Shaway Yeh, Sinéad Burke, Tim Blanks, and Tyler Mitchell.

The prize's return to Paris pays homage to its origins when more than 70 years ago it crowned the talents of the likes of Valentino Garavani, Karl Lagerfeld, and Yves Saint Laurent, chosen by a jury that could boast Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy. Today, the award still wants to celebrate the beauty of Merino wool, but it has evolved to offer finalists the tools they need to take their brands forward through industry mentorship. The 2023 edition of the International Woolmark Prize focused on the theme of Dialogue, a key element of the creative process that reflects the mission of the prize itself: to establish a dialogue and connect leading design talent with fashion industry insiders. The Paris showroom at the Petit Palais was brought to life by dancers in a special performance choreographed by last year's Woolmark Prize winner Saul Nash. Each of the eight dancers wore a key look from this year's finalists.