DALLAS, Apr 1, 2009 / FW/ — New York-based designer Oscar De La Renta has been named the Chairman of the Jury of the Second Edition of the prestigious El Boton – Mango Fashion Award. With 300,000 euros (approximately US $397,380) awarded to the winning entry, the El Boton – Mango Fashion Award is the most covetable and highly desirable fashion grant among designers.
To choose the winner among the 10 finalists who were named last September 2008, De La Renta is collaborating with five of the most prestigious design schools in Europe (Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design, London; Institut Français de la Mode, Paris; Istituto Marangoni, Milan; Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp; and l’Escola Superior de Disseny, Barcelona).
The judging panel will be made up of some of the most widely-known and well-respected names in fashion, including U.S. Marie Claire Fashion Director and “Project Runway” judge Nina Garcia.
The El Botón-MANGO Fashion Awards were first launched in November 2008 and aim to promote and support talented young fashion designers. The Mango Fashion Awards are the highest value fashion awards in the world, with the 10 finalists competing for a grand prize of 300,000 Euros. The winner will be announced during a press conference on April 29th, just before the presentation of MANGO’s new Autumn/Winter 09/10 collection.
Finalists include Spanish designer Silvia García Presas, UK designer Jean Pierre Braganza, UK designing duos Fiona Sinha and Aleksandar Stanic and Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, Czech designer Jakub Polanka, Belgian designer Christian Wijnants, German duo Miriam Lehle and Sabina Egler, South Korean designer Jin Youn Lee, New Zealand designer Alex Kim and Australian designer Josh Goot.
Valentino was the Chairman of the Jury in the first edition of the El Botón-MANGO Fashion Awards, who handed over the award to last year’s winners, Belgian duo Sandrina Fasoli and Michael Marson.
For more information, visit www.mangofashionawards.com
[MARI DAVIS]
