Winners revealed for the 2017 International Fashion Showcase
The winners of the International Fashion Showcase have been announced in London.
The British Fashion Council (BFC), the British Council and Mercedes-Benz presented the annual awards, which took on a theme of 'Local/Global' for 2017, on Sunday night at the city's Somerset House venue in the midst of fashion week.
Korean designer Younchan Chung, founder of the forward-thinking menswear brand The-sirius, was named winner of The International Fashion Showcase Designer Award. Czech designer Katerina Plamitzerova and Swiss talent Vanessa Schindler also received special mentions.
Chung, who will have the opportunity to showcase a collection during Milan Fashion Week, said: "I am really happy to win this prize as I only started the-sirius in Seoul Fashion Week last year, but I have dreamed of being a part of the global fashion industry."
India, meanwhile, claimed The International Fashion Showcase Country Award, thanks to its exhibition ‘The Indian Pastoralists', which showcased some of the country's best emerging talents. The nation was selected from 26 participating countries, of which Chile and Czech Republic were given special mentions for various exhibitions.
Polish creatives Wojciech Dziedzic and Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka won The International Fashion Showcase Curation Award, with special mentions for Julie HJ Lee of Korea and Roxanne Chen of Taiwan.
"The theme of Local/Global has resonated in profound reflections on the environment, identity and the strands which bind people together through generations," said Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent and Chief Critic at Vogue Runway, who chaired the judging panel. She added: "It is impossible not to walk away from this exhibition without feeling that the hope, resourcefulness and intelligence of the world's young people is capable of pulling the world through the dark and divisive times which face us now."
The International Fashion Showcase is a series of installations celebrating emerging designers from 26 different countries. The exhibition runs through February 21 at Somerset House, London.
