At the Petit Palais in Paris last night, the Danish knitwear label was recognised for its forward-minded approach to production and design
"It's been terrifying, you know, facing them," Amalie Roege Hove says moments after the 2023 International Woolmark prize winners are announced, modestly referring to this year's seven other finalists. It's true that her eponymous label, A. Roege Hove, was up against tough competition, with U.S. label Rhude, French brand Bluemarble, and the Adeju Thompson-helmed Nigerian label Lagos Space Programme – which ultimately took the top gong – all in the mix. But her humility aside, Roege Hoeve has also came out on top, accepting the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation, along with a whopping AU $100,000 prize.
"It's a unique opportunity to meet designers at the stage that we're at, from all around the world," Roege Hove goes on. "All of the other designers are doing great within different fields, coming from different design backgrounds. They all do something really amazing." For 2023, the competition's theme was 'Dialogue', representing, as the prize team explains, "both an important element in the creative process and acts as a letter both to, and for, the next generation."
Roege Hoeve and her fellow finalists had each developed six Merino wool looks as part of their autumn/winter 2023 collections, or a standalone IWP2023 capsule collection, highlighting the innate versatility, innovative nature and eco-credentials of Australian Merino wool.
Related: See all the looks from A. Roege Hove's autumn/winter 2023 runway at Copenhagen Fashion Week
Amalie Roege Hove in the studio.
The finalists' work was judged by an expert panel, which included Alaïa’s creative director Pieter Mulier, Zegna’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori, Marni’s creative director Francesco Risso, footwear designer Salehe Bembury, photographer Tyler Mitchell, and Browns’ chief executive officer Elizabeth von der Goltz. "I felt so happy after meeting the judges, it was so rewarding and uplifting," says Roege Hove. "On a day like this, it's so obvious that they're all here to support us," she remarks.
The Karl Lagerfeld Award honours the long history and collaboration between the designer and The Woolmark Company. Lagerfeld was named the winner of the first ever prize, in the coat category, in 1954, and went on to be a life-long advocate of high calibre wool in his designs. The namesake prize is now bestowed to those pushing boundaries across both production and design. "The prize for innovation is really important to us because it’s something that we work really actively with, from raw materials to finished garments," Roege Hove says. "Being recognised for this is amazing and I’m so honoured that the Karl Lagerfeld team really appreciated what we have been working on."
Fittingly, Roege Hove says she plans to direct the pot of prize money directly back into the brand's innovation. "What we want to do is really operate the machines that we have in our studio. Just try to really use the money to gain more knowledge within material, more knowledge within machinery, and use it to support our supply chain."
Roege Hoeve now joins an impressive alumni network that, beyond Lagerfeld, includes Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino Garavani, Gabriela Hearst, Rahul Mishra, BODE, Matty Bovan and, most recently, Saul Nash.