Do you live, breathe, and sleep fashion? Do you have your own fashion line and have a dream of having your line in boutiques in Milan, Paris, and other hot spots? Christopher Cowdray, CEO of the Dorchester Collection is making dreams come true. Established in 2010, the annual Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize was created to discover emerging fashion talent and build on Dorchester Collection’s own established fashion heritage. It is the first award of its kind developed by a luxury hotel company.

The esteemed panel of judges evolves year to year and has included world renowned and critically-acclaimed members of the fashion elite including Manolo Blahnik, Thom Browne, Francisco Costa, Daphne Guinness, Stephen Jones, Yasmin Le Bon, Marchesa’s Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, Elizabeth Saltzman and Kenzo Takada.

Each year shortlisted finalists take part in a glamorous catwalk event hosted at one of the Dorchester Collection hotels, at which the winner is announced. The 2012 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize was held at Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris in October, an ideal locale steeped in fashion history. Inspired by its elegance, Christian Dior, who set up his couture house nearby, named several designs after the hotel, including the Plaza and the Athénée suits. Dior’s ground breaking couture collections were often photographed at Hôtel Plaza Athénée, which he considered his second home.

 

Beverly Hills – The 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize was launched April 4th, at The Beverly Hills Hotel with a high profile panel of judges from the world of fashion including Derek Blasberg*, Catherine Bloom, Penny Lovell and Gelila Puck. Last week, the UK and Italian launch events took place announcing UK judges: Daniella Helayel, Caroline Issa, Stephen Jones, Nicholas Oakwell, Rupert Sanderson, and Stephen Webster. Italian judges are Vivia Ferragamo, Guglielmo Miani, Fabia Di Drusco and Margherita Perico.

Following the worldwide interest that the prize has generated in the fashion industry, the prize has widened to invite applications from young design talent of ready-to-wear or premium accessories brands based in countries where there are Dorchester Collection hotels: the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland and the US.

In a further move designed to encourage emerging international design talent, the prize will now feature additional panels of judges recruited by Dorchester Collection hotels in each of these countries.

“We’re thrilled to continue to support upcoming designers and launch the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize with a new international format. Our aim is to continue to attract a high standard of talent; it’s been rewarding to follow the success of previous winners and finalists, knowing that the prize has helped them to make that next step to global success and recognition,” states Christopher Cowdray, chief executive officer of Dorchester Collection.

Thomas Tait, Anndra Neen and Augustin Teboul, previous winners of the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize, have since enjoyed critical acclaim for their collections and been featured in respected titles such as The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar UK, Vogue.com and L’Officiel.

“Since winning the 2012 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize, we’ve had a huge amount of media attention which has been fantastic for promoting our brand”, say Annelie Augustin and Odelie Teboul.

The Grand Final

The grand final will be on October 29, 2013 at The Dorchester, where five shortlisted designers will be invited to stage a catwalk presentation. The judges of the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize will seek to award one designer who best demonstrates original aesthetic flair, a capability for future critical distinction and commercial success. The winner’s work must also evoke the spirit of Dorchester Collection’s iconic hotels and, therefore, project a sense of individuality, luxury, style and craftsmanship.

The Rules

Entries for the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize must be based in UK, France, Italy, Switzerland or the US; have an established design business and have operated their brand for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years. A new element of the application process includes the submission of a one minute video entry which invites applicants to present their collection, inspiration and design philosophy.

The Prize

The 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize carries an endowment of £25,000 to help establish the designer’s brand, a two night stay at a Dorchester Collection hotel and, in a new element launched this year, the prospect of one-to-one mentoring from a selection of the judges

The Application

Application details will be available for download on the Dorchester Collection website (www.dorchestercollection.com) from mid-April 2013 and registration will be open until 31 May 2013.

Connect

Twitter: follow @DC_LuxuryHotels and @BevHillsHotel for updates on #DCFashionPrize
FB: Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize
Instagram: @DorchesterCollection
Pinterest: Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize board

For further details about the 2013 Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize judges, please refer to the website: http://www.dorchestercollection.com/dorchester-prize.

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