The Woolmark Company wants to find the Gen Z designer of the future

UPDATE 14/06/2022: The Wool4School winner is Giacomo Bussani, a fifth-year student at Liceo Artistico Enrico e Umberto Nordio in Triste, with his project "My First Lady." His mom is the source of inspiration for the project in which Giacomo created an outfit that reflected her character, passions and style.

The jury chose it out of more than 470 projects submitted for the creative way it responded to the demands of the brief, the detailed account of the design process, the solutions found, the research on technologies to be integrated into comfortable garments, the quality of the drawings and technicians, and the accuracy and clarity of the annotations.

Over the years, the fashion world has rediscovered the fundamental value of mentorship – that process of intergenerational openness that allows today's designers to help the careers of those of tomorrow. This is the spirit that animates the fourth edition of Wool4School, the contest of The Woolmark Company dedicated to young designers who have turned 16 and who attend the last three years of art school, technical and professional institutes with a fashion address. Originally launched in Australia, the headquarters of The Woolmark Company, in 2012 and then gradually extended to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, the contest arrived in Italy in 2018, finding enormous success and involving, to date, more than 150,000 students worldwide.

The competition was created to promote the creative and professional growth of young designers who are required to create an outfit of up to four garments composed of at least of 70% Merino wool and submit it no later than April 27. The theme of this fourth edition of Wool4School is the heroes: each competitor will have to design the outfit of their personal hero, whether it is a parent, a personality of art or athletics, using «Merino wool as a natural and performing fiber, highlighting its infinite technical qualities and experimenting with new innovative applications», as explained by Francesco Magri, Regional Manager Europe, C&E of The Woolmark Company. The sustainable properties of wool and their promotion have always been a focal point of the values of the association, which has funded studies but also promoted strict standards for breeders to demonstrate how wool is one of the best choices for sustainable fashion.

Every year, the competition has a different partner: this year's is the historic Piedmontese wool mill Vitale Barberis Canonico, one of the most prestigious Italian wool mills ever, active even before 1663. It will be here that the winner of the contest will carry out a two-week internship, while the others from the 10th, 11th and 12th grade will receive a trophy and a tablet worth € 500. In addition, the contest also includes a category of prizes for teachers who will also enroll their schools by giving away, in addition to the trophy, also wool fabrics and wool blend for a total value of € 1000. The creative director of Vitale Barberis Canonico, Francesco Barberis Canonico, said:

«Vitale Barberis Canonico sostiene con orgoglio Wool4School […]. Un occhio al futuro all’insegna della più bella fibra al mondo, la lana, che dà tantissime possibilità di espressione grazie alla sua versatilità. In più è sostenibile, termoregolatrice e biodegradabile».