18 Apr 2013
Applications for the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize are now open. Application information is available to download on the Dorchester Collection website (http://www.dorchestercollection.com) and registration will remain open until 31 May 2013.
Following the worldwide interest that the prize has generated in the fashion industry, the prize has widened to invite applications from young design talent of couture, ready-to-wear or premium accessories brands based in countries where there are Dorchester Collection hotels: the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland and the US.
To encourage emerging international design talent, the prize will now feature additional panels of judges recruited by Dorchester Collection hotels in each of these countries:
UK - Daniella Helayel, Caroline Issa, Stephen Jones OBE, Nicholas Oakwell, Rupert Sanderson and Stephen Webster MBE
Italy - Fabia Di Drusco, Vivia Ferragamo, Guglielmo Miani and Margherita Perico
USA - Derek Blasberg, Catherine Bloom, Penny Lovell and Gelila Puck
Switzerland - Frederic Aranda, Laurence Desbordes and Jean-Pierre Greff
France - Lorenz Baumer, Pamela Golbin and Kappauf
The grand final will be on 29 October 2013 at The Dorchester, where five shortlisted designers will be invited to stage a catwalk presentation. The judges of the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize will seek to award one designer who best demonstrates original aesthetic flair, a capability for future critical distinction and commercial success. The winner's work must also evoke the spirit of Dorchester Collection's iconic hotels and, therefore, project a sense of individuality, luxury, style and craftsmanship.
Entries for the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize must be based in the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland or the US; have an established design business and have operated their brand for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years. A new element of the application process includes the submission of a one minute video entry which invites applicants to present their collection, inspiration and design philosophy.
The 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize carries an endowment of £25,000 to help establish the designer's brand, a two night stay at a Dorchester Collection hotel and, in a new element launched this year, the prospect of one-to-one mentoring from a selection of the judges.
"We're thrilled to continue to support upcoming designers and launch the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize with a new international format. Our aim is to continue to attract a high standard of talent; it's been rewarding to follow the success of previous winners and finalists, knowing that the prize has helped them to make that next step to global success and recognition," states Christopher Cowdray, chief executive officer of Dorchester Collection.
Thomas Tait, Anndra Neen and Augustin Teboul, previous winners of the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize, have since enjoyed critical acclaim for their collections and been featured in respected titles such as The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar UK, Vogue.com and L'Officiel.
"Since winning the 2012 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize, we've had a huge amount of media attention which has been fantastic for promoting our brand", say Annelie Augustin and Odelie Teboul.
On winning the inaugural prize in 2010, Thomas Tait said: "The endowment was a huge help and, with it, I bought the equipment I needed to set up my design studio. The prize also got an incredible amount of press and it was a press push in the right direction for my brand."
Notes to editors:
Established in 2010, the annual Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize was created to discover emerging fashion talent and build on Dorchester Collection's own established fashion heritage. It is the first award of its kind developed by a luxury hotel company.
The esteemed panel of judges evolves year to year and has included world renowned and critically-acclaimed members of the fashion elite including Manolo Blahnik, Thom Browne, Francisco Costa, Daphne Guinness, Stephen Jones, Yasmin Le Bon, Marchesa's Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, Elizabeth Saltzman and Kenzo Takada.
For further details about the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize judges, please refer to the website: http://www.dorchestercollection.com/dorchester-prize.
Each year shortlisted finalists take part in a glamorous catwalk event hosted at one of the Dorchester Collection hotels, at which the winner is announced. The 2012 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize was held at Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris in October, an ideal locale steeped in fashion history. Inspired by its elegance, Christian Dior, who set up his couture house nearby, named several designs after the hotel, including the Plaza and the Athénée suits. Dior's groundbreaking couture collections were often photographed at Hôtel Plaza Athénée, which he considered his second home.
Social media details
Twitter: follow @DC_LuxuryHotels for updates on #DCFashionPrize
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Pinterest: Dorchester Collection, #DCFashionPrize board
YouTube: Dorchester Collection
Dorchester Collection
Dorchester Collection is a portfolio of the world's foremost luxury hotels in Europe and the USA, each of which reflects the distinctive culture of its destination. By applying its unrivalled experience and capability in owning and operating some of the greatest individual hotels, the company's mission is to develop an impeccable group of the finest landmark hotels through acquisition as well as management of wholly-owned and part-owned hotels, and to enter into management agreements.
The current portfolio includes the following hotels (in order of them joining the group): The Dorchester, London; The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills; Le Meurice, Paris; Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris; Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan; Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles; Coworth Park, Ascot, UK; 45 Park Lane, London; and Le Richemond, Geneva.
dorchestercollection.com
For further information on Dorchester Collection please contact:
Olivia Johnson or Victoria Henson at Peretti Communications
Telephone: 020 7244 1930
