Song for the Mute were announced as the winner of the 2011 L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) Designer Award, presented by Woolmark and supported by Vogue Australia.
Woolmark presented Song for the Mute with a prize to the value of $20,000, including $10,000 cash and a trip to attend either Première Vision (Paris) or Pitti Filati (Florence) where they will be introduced to Woolmark's network of mills and suppliers.
Song for the Mute is the collective talent of award winning graphic artist Melvin Tanaya and Parisian born, Italian trained fashion designer Lyna Ty. Their winter 2011 collection, titled Milieu features 80 per cent Australian wool and has already been picked up by major Australian and international stockists. Their self described style is a fusion of masculine and feminine with modern proportions and signature detail.
Lyna Ty was trained at the Whitehouse School of Fashion and when accepting the award added "It is amazing using wool, letting it do what it does naturally, it is such a breeze to use".
From a large and highly competitive field of entrants, eight finalists were selected to present their latest capsule collections at an exclusive presentation for media. For the first time ever, the finalists will also showcase in the L'Oréal Paris Runway Show presented by Vogue supported by Woolmark tonight at 8.30pm.
This prestigious Award promotes excellence for those in their first five years of business. It provides valuable, immediate and ongoing support for a designer who will contribute in a significant way to the Australian fashion industry.
The LMFF Designer Award has helped launch the successful careers of past winners including designer labels: Romance was Born, Toni Maticevski, Claude Maus, Mad Cortes, Josh Goot, Yeojin Bae, Dion Lee and Fredrich Gray.
Australian fashion industry heavyweights worked together in judging the eight finalists for 2011; Arnsdorf, From Britten, Lui Hon, Dress Up, Bassike, Song for the Mute, Laurence Pasquier and Ellery.
LMFF Creative Director Grant Pearce is proud to support the nation's most prestigious and highly regarded award for emerging talent in fashion design.
"The 2011 finalists were of an extremely high standard and I am delighted to announce that this is the first year that a menswear label has won the award," Mr Pearce said.
The growing appreciation for the Australian natural fibre can also be seen in the latest designs from the 2010 winner of this award as Dion Lee has used wool throughout his latest designs for High Street brand Cue.
The Woolmark brand is owned by Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI), the world's leading wool textile organisation.
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