Joseph Altuzarra wins American Woolmark Prize

Joseph Altuzarra, the designer behind Altuzarra, has been

selected to represent the US in the annual International Woolmark Prize, which will be awarded during Milan Fashion Week in February 2014.

Altuzarra was up against a strong field of designers including Bibhu Mohapatra, Gabby Basora, Wes Gordon and Creatures of the Wind to win the USA regional Woolmark Award. He was announced as the winner on Tuesday night at Industria Superstudio in New York.

He wins 100,000 US dollars toward his next collection, which acts as a financial contribution to compete in the overall prize representing USA in the grand final event.

The final will feature five designers from Europe, India, Asia, Australia and America, which will showcase each designer’s capsule collection made from merino wool. The winner will have their collection stocked in top retailers globally in Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue, 10 Corso Como, Joyce and David Jones, and will win 100,000 Australian dollars in prize money.

Altuzarra joins British knitwear label, Sibling, helmed by Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery, who were selected last month to represent Europe. The other three regional finals will take place in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East later this month.