International Protégés Showcase Merino Wool at RAFW

One of Australia’s rising fashion talents has joined the world’s best young designers who showcased Australian Merino wool at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW).

Ben Pollitt, designer of Friedrich Gray, was announced as the Australian Protégé at the Protégé collection shown in Sydney on Wednesday 30th April 2008.

Project Protégé was created in Italy through the vision of Franca Sozzani, Editor of Vogue Italia; an idea that saw some of fashion’s most prominent figures identify and mentor promising, talented protégés over the months leading up to the launch of their collections in Europe earlier this year.

• Jean Pierre Braganza, selected by Karl Lagerfeld
• Kristian Aadnevik, selected by Donatella Versace
• Ioannis Cholidis, selected by Sir Paul Smith
• Julian Louie, selected by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein
• Sandra Backlund, selected by Franca Sozzani, Editor Vogue Italia

Kirstie Clements, Editor of Vogue Australia with Protégé’s

Paolo Zegna President Ermenegildo Zegna & Craig Welsh CEO, AWI

Editor of Vogue Australia, Kirstie Clements, announced that Ben would stand alongside the world’s best young designers as the Australian Protégé.

Ben’s collection, made from Australian Merino wool jersey knits and wovens, was showcased as part of the Protégé collection presented at RAFW.

Ben was also recently awarded the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival designer of the year presented by Woolmark.

Paolo Zegna, President of Ermenegildo Zegna, was a guest of honour at the Sydney event. Ermenegildo Zegna has been a key partner of Project Protégé since its launch in July 2007. Many of the high quality Merino wool woven fabrics used by the Protégés were woven at Zegna’s world class mills.

The Protégé collections were also showcased at an exhibition in Tokyo, Japan on 22nd April 2008. The exhibition was visited by over 120 visitors including textile, apparel and retail buyers, designers and media. Students of prestigious fashion schools in Tokyo also attended, and left the event inspired by the artistic Merino wool creations.

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