Loro Piana has revealed two winners for its 2023 Knit Design Award during an even which took place inside the label’s Milanese HQ on April 6, 2023.
The initiative — which was first launched back in 2016 — is an international competition that aims to give talented design students the chance to showcase their unique creative expressions on some of Loro Piana's iconic yarns.
This year's winners were students Sumin An and Blake Dewitt of Fashion Institute of Technology of New York. The theme for 2023 was “Regenerate” and saw entrees from the five other participating schools including the Heriot Watt University of Edinburgh, Donghua University Shanghai, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Università IUAV di Venezia, and Institut Français de la Mode.
Entered students were asked to develop a creative idea with a focus on themes of sustainability and the reuse of fibers and materials.
The goal? To innovate and experiment with exclusive Loro Piana yarns like cashmere 2/27, Coarsehair, Wish, Supercashmere, and more.
The projects finalists were presented at Loro Piana’s HQ in Via della Moscova 33, Milan, with a jury of experts made up of the maison's CEO CEO Damien Bertrand, as well as names like Sara Sozzani Maino, Creative Director Fondazione Sozzani and Educational & Scouting Advisor of Vogue Italia, Jordan Anderson, Editor-At-Large of NSS Magazine, Andrea Batilla, Brand Strategist and Author, and fashion and lifestyle journalist Giuliana Matarrese.
The winning duo received the prestigious Loro Piana Knit Design Award 2023 handmade silver trophy, along with a scholarship and an employment contract with the company.
The two students will also have the opportunity to create their finished projects in Loro Piana's knitwear workshops in Piedmont, where they’ll be working alongside artisans who will share both their expertise and tricks of the trade.
