The International Woolmark Prize in 2025 will have a predominantly Belgian and Dutch flavor. The finalists include two Belgian fashion brands and one Dutch one, according to the list of nominees.
Dutch designer Duran Lantink is one of the finalists. From Belgium, the designers behind the Belgian brand Ester Manas (Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre) are his finalists, together with fellow countryman Meryll Rogge. A total of eight emerging brands are competing for the International Woolmark Prize.
International Woolmark Prize 2025: Duran Lantink, Meryll Rogge and Ester Manas among finalists
Duran Lantink has been nominated many times for international fashion awards. In 2024, he took home the Karl Lagerfeld Prize at the LVMH Prize ceremony. The designer was also nominated for the LVMH Prize in 2019, but did not win. In 2023, Lantink did win a prize, taking home one of the Special Prizes of the Andam Awards.
Rogge has previously been nominated for important fashion awards. For example, she was a finalist for the Andam Award in 2024 and a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2022, but was ultimately left out of the selection for the finalists. She has managed to secure a nomination. Rogge started her own unisex brand in 2019. Before that she worked for Dries van Noten and Marc Jacobs, among others.
Fashion brand Ester Manas took home the Andam Special Award in 2023. The brand was also shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2020. Ester Manas is a sustainable and inclusive fashion brand that celebrates every woman and all shapes, according to the label’s website. The New York Times named the brand “the most size-inclusive brand of that fashion week” at Paris Fashion Week in March 2022.
Finalists for International Woolmark Prize 2025 announced
Other finalists are Luca Lin from the brand Act No. 1, Rachel Scott of the Diotima brand, Raul Lopez of the Luar brand, Michael Stewart of the Standing Ground brand and Louis Gabriel Nouchi of the eponymous brand. Each of the finalists will receive 60,000 Australian dollars to create a capsule collection of six pieces that spotlight the versatility of merino wool.
The designer of the winning collection will receive 300,000 Australian dollars and the opportunity to be included in the renowned retailers in the Woolmark network.
