Australian Fashion Foundation announces 2017/2018 winners

The 2017/2018 Australian Fashion Foundation winners have been announced, and the top prizes went to Lucy Dickinson and Mikala Tavener Hanks. The winners were announced at a reception at Sydney's Pier One Hotel on Tuesday evening. Each winner will receive an award of 20,000 Australian dollars, and a six month internship with an international fashion house.

The judges consisted of Australian Fashion Foundation co-founder and Carfrae Consulting founder Malcolm Carfrae, Australian designers Dion Lee and Nicky Zimmermann, Harper's Bazaar Australia editor-in-chief Kellie Hush, 10 Magazine editor-in-chief Alison Veness-McGourty, publicist Kara Hurry and fashion consultant Nancy Pilcher.

Carfrae launched the non-profit foundation in 2008 with fellow New York-based Australian expatriate Julie-Anne Quay, the founder and CEO of V-Files. Their goal with the Australian Fashion Foundation is to give more Australian fashion industry professionals international opportunities.

In the nine years the foundation has been running, they have helped young designers gain internships with a range of top design houses from Calvin Klein to Alexander McQueen. Carfrae is hoping to eventually grow the program beyond just two scholarship opportunities, ideally desiring to bring at least ten students to international internship placements.