Duran Lantink has won the International Woolmark Prize 2025

Last night, at the Palazzo del Ghiaccio in Milan, the International Woolmark Prize was awarded to one of the most innovative emerging designers of recent years. Duran Lantink, a Dutch designer born in 1988, won over the prestigious jury with a collection that combines craftsmanship and creativity within the sustainable fabric of Merino wool. The designer won 300,000 Australian dollars (about 170,000 euros) to invest in the development of his business, making this recognition not just emotionally significant. «For this collection we were thinking a lot about form and giving new proposals in terms of what we find interesting to wear», the designer told us just hours after the award ceremony. «Working with Woolmark, we wanted to start a dialogue with a community of knitters». For this reason, Lantink created the entire collection in collaboration with a group of fifteen expert knitters from Amsterdam. The collection explored the shapes of the most traditional garments, such as tartan skirts and Aran sweaters, reinterpreted with voluminous and unexpected silhouettes. «It’s very important to me to communicate through clothes», Lantink added, speaking about the challenges he faces as an independent designer. «But there’s nothing more important. You get the freedom, and I think you forget about it once you’re struggling that hard, but I wouldn’t have it any other way».

Alongside Duran Lantink, seven other finalists had the opportunity yesterday to present their collections to the press and once again to the Woolmark Prize jury, composed of some of the biggest names in the fashion industry, including Donatella Versace, Law Roach, IB Kamara, Tim Blanks, Honey Dijon, Alessandro Sartori, and Sinéad Burke. Louis Gabriel Nouchi told us that participating in the competition was a great challenge for his brand, whose DNA might seem distant from the world of wool. «The goal was to make it sexy», added the designer—who succeeded brilliantly in this aim by executing an exercise in meticulous tailoring for truly captivating garments. Ester Manas, founder of her eponymous brand together with her partner Balthazar Delepierre, also explored sensuality through wool, incorporating transparency, ruffles, and elasticity to celebrate beauty in all forms. Meanwhile, Rachel Scott of Diotima ignited a similar dialogue through crochet techniques. «For this collection I was thinking about expanding our idea of Merino in terms of seasonality», the designer told us while showcasing a complex fiery red crochet dress. «The issue with crochet and with craft is that it's been given a bad branding, it’s nostalgic. But for me, luxury is savoir-faire, it’s knowing how to make things beautifully, and crochet is something that can only be made by hand, so it’s luxurious, and it can be sensual, it can be sexy, it can be modern».

The use of Merino wool in the collections submitted for the International Woolmark Prize (which has celebrated the sustainability and versatility of this material for over seventy years, offering mentorship programs to support young creatives) led all finalists to discover new techniques. Michael Stewart of Standing Ground showcased unexpected shapes in his new collection, featuring invisible seams and ingenious draping. «I have a beading technique that I've been using within Jersey, but now I've made it with a woven wool, which is a completely different story», the designer explained. One of the most interesting aspects of Standing Ground's work is its use of color, which, in reality, involves little research. «The color is what I have available to me,» Stewart stated. «I use all deadstock materials or stock materials that already exist. So actually, I'm very limited. But I love the challenge». For Act N°1, Italian designer Luca Lin aimed to transform traditional menswear through cuts and draping. «They are highly worked and not just styled that way, they are actually made like this», the designer added.

Tradition was also a central theme in the collection of Meryll Rogge, a Belgian designer who reinforced classics like tweed and quilting with double padding and Merino wool mixed with satin to create sculptural silhouettes. Last but not least, Luar, the brand founded by Raul Lopez, brought a poetic collection to the Woolmark Prize. «Even though I’ve never written a poem in my life, this time I was strongly inspired», the designer joked. «This collection was actually inspired by this word called 'pato,' which is a derogatory slur in Latino culture. Something was telling me to reclaim this moment in my life that was really miserable». In his personal reinterpretation of the puffer jacket, Lopez created a Merino wool down jacket entirely handmade—«it took 1900 hours to make, it was insane»—as well as a technical jacket with subtle padding that mimics the back of shorn sheep. Once again, the International Woolmark Prize provided a great launching pad not only for the winner, Duran Lantink, but for all the finalists, who were able to explore Merino wool with the help of a major industry supporter. And the success of past winners, such as Valentino Garavani, Karl Lagerfeld, and Yves Saint Laurent, proves the importance of events like these for the future of fashion.