Public School NYC wins Woolmark prize at LC:M

American label Public School NYC has been awarded the inaugural menswear International Woolmark prize during London Collections: Men.

The brand, founded in 2008 by designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, were crowned the winner’s on the first day of LC:M beating off competition from Sise from Japan, Asger Juel Larsen from Denmark, Australia’s Strateas. Carlucci, and The Emperor 1688 from the UAE.

The menswear label, which is stocked in department stores and speciality boutiques including Barney’s New York, Isetan, Odin, MaxField and Louis Boston, impressing the judges, which included designer Paul Smith and fashion editor Tim Blanks, with their streetwear collection featuring Merino wool jumpers and jogging pants.

“What was savvy about Public School was their skill with manufacturing and commerciality,” explained Paul Smith. “Many items were fully fashioned, so for sportswear they could fit the shape of the body and could work for some of the major sportswear brands. They’ve already invested in production; the USA has a great focus on forward thinking beyond just designing it.”

Public School wins inaugural men’s International Woolmark prize

Commenting on their win, Public School said: “It feels unbelievable to win the prize. We are the first US winners in the competition so we are really proud and it’s incredibly meaningful to us.”

As winner’s they will receive 100,000 Australian dollars prize money, on top of the 50,000 Australian dollars already received for winning the regional award, as well as the opportunity to be stocked in the most important retailers around the globe including Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue, 10 Corso Como, Joyce, Isetan Mitsukoshi, David Jones and Matchesfashion.com.

Woolmark decided to split the competition, which recognises design excellence using Merino wool, into menswear and womenswear to increase the exposure of the competition. The inaugural menswear edition reached across 21 countries across Europe, the US, India and the Middle East, Asia and Australia, and involved more than 60 designers, before the judging panel shortlisted the five finalists.

The Public School NYC x Woolmark collection will be available globally from August 2015.

Image: Public School NYC