The National Wool Museum (NWM) has put out the call for submissions to Australia’s only dedicated sustainable fashion prize for emerging designers.
The biennial We the Makers Sustainable Fashion Prize is back in 2025, promising to showcase the very best local, national and international innovations in the field.
Submissions for the acquisitive prize and exhibition, which drew more than 100 entries from Geelong and around the globe in 2023, are now open until April 15, with the exhibition and awards in June.
The prize is open for designers with less than ten years of industry experience and offers a $10,000 Designer of the Year Award and a $2000 People’s Choice Award.
NWM senior curator Josephine Rout said We the Makers encapsulated three of the museum’s core focuses, textiles, sustainable practice and Geelong’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design.
“I like to say the prize allows us to focus on the past, present and future of sustainable fashion,” Ms Rout said.
“The fashion and apparel industry is the second biggest polluting industry globally, and Australia has recently overtaken America as the biggest consumer of fast fashion. (Per capita) we’re not only buying the most fast fashion, we’re also spending the least amount of money on it.
“But of course, clothing is something all of us need to consume – we all wear clothing – so it’s one of those tricky things.
“But what’s so good about fashion is that it’s a creative industry and a remarkable site for artistry. People develop their self-identity and express themselves through clothes, so that’s what we’re choosing to celebrate and focus on in We the Makers.”
Visit wethemakers.com.au for entry information.
Matt Hewson
