00:00A collection inspired by English writer Gertrude Bell's travels across the Middle East has
00:24won its Dubai-based designers the regional leg of the coveted International Woolmark
00:30Prize for fashion.
00:31Dubai label teller Marmo will represent the Middle East, India and Pakistan in the women's
00:36wear category, while India designer Sukit Dher and his label will compete in the menswear
00:42category of the annual international award, considered one of the most prestigious in
00:47the world.
00:48Women's wear, we found it, the international aspect quite fascinating and I think that
00:55plays to the whole award as a whole being a global award and really showing that it's
01:02a global market, it's a global industry now and it doesn't really matter where you come
01:07from, it's your point of view and how you present it.
01:10We use the best of the best in Italian manufacturers of textiles.
01:17Most of them were in Biela and also the craftsmanship of the pieces were curated 100%.
01:27We also collaborate with the jewellery makers Soldani and Bianchi that did this 925 marina
01:34ship with two little South American emeralds and it was all about the woman that travels,
01:40the mother woman that travels.
01:41The question that we asked was how many women find two different cities with two total different
01:51weathers in the same day.
01:53So we create this super super light top and pants and we add this 5kg coat, a bonded merino
02:02wool coat to tell that story.
02:06They launched their label at Fashion Forward some four seasons ago and they've been showing
02:12consistently at Fashion Forward and we've supported them all the way and we're just
02:17extremely happy that the larger doors are opening up for them and the win for International
02:23Woolmark Prize for the regionals is definitely going to put them on a different level.
02:28With the men's wear it was a lovely representation of India, really told from the heart, such
02:34amazing skill in development of fabric innovation in such a simple way and that's the beauty
02:40of wool because it is one of the oldest fibres that man's used to clothe themselves in.
02:47I think the unique thing about my collection is that it's trans-seasonal, it's merino
02:51wool but it's good for summer and for winter and plus it has a lot of soul, it's actually
02:58coming from the villages of India, you know there are these people who are weaving such
03:03amazing fabrics, we just introduced them to wool and they did the rest of the magic and
03:08I think there was a lot of effort and those beautiful energies of all those people, I
03:17think it's just that energy that made this garment stand out.
03:21As finalists, the two labels will each receive cash and will be required to create a six-piece
03:27collection made out of merino wool.
03:29The collections will be presented to an international panel of judges along with entries from Asia,
03:35Australia, British Isles, Europe and the USA.
03:38Irish Eden Belleza for Tabloid.
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