The crowd hurrahed as Lagos Space Programme ​​– founded in 2018 by Nigerian designer Adeju Thompson – took home this year’s International Woolmark Prize. Presented in a ceremony at Paris’s Petit Palais, the 31-year-old anti-fashion designer – whose conceptual, non-binary, luxury design project explores African futures, craftsmanship and slow fashion – was awarded a AU$200,000 (£105,921) cash prize, alongside ongoing support from the industry and the opportunity to be stocked at renowned stores globally thanks to the IWP Retailer Network.

Thompson refers to LSP not as a brand, but as an ethical movement re-appropriating the Afro-futuristic lens – hence the science fiction-y name. They take inspiration from everywhere and everything – Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, architecture, New Romantics – but it’s how these references are filtered “through a Nigerian lens,” and evoke a sense of “national pride,” that brings them into the LSP orbit. In general, their designs aim to challenge obsolete norms around blackness, African design, masculinity and beauty. And known for its locally made fabrics and prints, the brand involves many international artists working together, collaborating and sharing ideas. Plus, all LSP pieces are one-offs, and production occurs exclusively in Africa.

The designer, who first made an impression as a 2021 LVMH Prize nominee, presented a collection that fused structured tailoring with loose constructions such as LSP’s signature Yoruba wide pants. The completeness of range was a winning point for the judges, who also observed LSP worked with suppliers including Kunishima, a historic Japanese manufacturer of wool fabric, on their offering. A fresh take on Adire – the idea of making clothes that tell a story through specific fabrics and dye techniques and the name given to code-sharing indigo-dyed cloth produced by Yoruba women of southwestern Nigeria – LSP used knitwear, motifs and woven fabrics to develop its own, unique interpretation of the technique for the Woolmark competition.

Rooted in Yoruba tradition and queer identity, the designs used Merino wool to tailor each piece while intending to serve as a discreet revolution against the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment prevalent in Lagos. Thompson also noted that in addition to exploring queer semiotics, the collection is a study of minimalism from an African point of view that seeks to change global perceptions of the continent’s fashion.

When it comes to the prize money, expansion is Thompson’s biggest priority. They plan to invest in the brand’s infrastructure and in boosting manufacturing capacity in a country that they described as plagued by political corruption and energy shortages as the new Nigerian administration of president-elect Bola Tinubu prepares to remove a fuel subsidy next month. “This is a life-changing opportunity,” says Thompson. “It means that things will be easier for me; coming from Nigeria there’s no support. To have recognition from The Woolmark Company – wow, I’m so speechless and I’m looking forward to the future.”

Amongst the eight prize finalists, which included Irish menswear talent Robyn Lynch, Rhuigi Villaseñor’s LA label Rhude, Paris-based Blumarble, UK-based Paolina Russo, Maxxij of South Korea and Italy’s Marco Rambaldi, was A. Roege Hove of Denmark, who won the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation and an impressive AU$100,000 (£55,491). The conceptual label, lauded for its challenging of traditions with a modern and artistic approach to original craftsmanship, stunned the jury with high-concept constructions including a 3D grid jacket made up of a slew of transparent squares that exposed floating threads on its interior – all knitted as a single piece. Hove plans to invest the money in everything from new machines for her studio to developing yarns.

Both prizes were chosen by an esteemed judging panel that included educator, advocate and founder of Tilting the Lens, Sinéad Burke, Alaïa’s creative director Pieter Mulier, artistic director of Zegna, Alessandro Sartori, and Tim Blanks, editor-at-large of Business of Fashion, and Elizabeth von der Goltz, chief executive officer of Browns and chief fashion and merchandising officer of Farfetch, amongst other industry leaders. This year’s prize also saw Woolmark team-up with Zak Group, alongside dream-team director-duo Partel Olivia, incredible choreographer Josh Johnson, as well as Joan Jonas who created a serene short film for the ceremony.

On another note, the Woolmark Supply Chain Award – celebrating outstanding contribution from a trade partner driving wool supply chain innovation – went to Amsterdam-based textile innovation studio and IWP supply chain partner Byborre. The award recognises the invaluable contribution it has paid to finalists over the past few years as a label working on the frontiers of material development, engineered functionality and technical aesthetics.

Photography courtesy of International Woolmark Prize.

woolmarkprize.com

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