Emerging designers lead the charge in sustainable fashion: Finalists announced for the $10,000 prize

This year’s finalists represent a powerful blend of creativity, innovation, and a deep commitment to sustainability. Each designer brings bold ideas to life through garments that challenge convention, revive traditional techniques, and turn discarded materials into visionary fashion.

The competition attracted over 150 entries from 13 countries and from every state and territory across Australia — including 10 from the Geelong region, cementing the city’s growing status as a global hub for sustainable design.

From the UK and Europe to Asia, the US, and back home in Australia, the entrants pushed boundaries and embraced bold, purpose-driven design. Designers used natural dyes, slow fashion techniques, and upcycled textiles to reimagine what sustainable fashion can look like in 2025 and beyond.

The 20 shortlisted garments will go on display at the National Wool Museum, Geelong from 14 June to 30 November 2025. The winners will be revealed at a special exhibition opening and awards event on Friday 13 June.

Prizes include:

• National Wool Museum Designer of the Year Award – $10,000 prize and acquisition of the winning garment into the Museum’s permanent collection.
• UNESCO City of Design People’s Choice Award – $2,000 prize, with voting open to all exhibition visitors and the winner announced during Geelong Design Week 2025.

An expert panel of international fashion and sustainability leaders will judge the shortlisted entries, ensuring the winners reflect global standards in ethical and innovative fashion.

Visitors can take part too — by voting for their favourite design, they help shape the future of fashion through the People’s Choice Award.

Held every two years, We the Makers is a major event on the National Wool Museum’s calendar and a cornerstone of Geelong’s role as a UNESCO City of Design.

The prize champions emerging designers with less than 10 years of industry experience, offering them a global platform and meaningful career support.

We the Makers doesn’t just celebrate fashion — it redefines it. It shines a light on designers who prioritise ethics, creativity, and material consciousness. These finalists aren’t just making clothes — they’re building a better industry.

Be part of the movement. Explore the exhibition, cast your vote, and discover the trailblazers shaping fashion’s sustainable future.

Judges

Shonae Hobson, Independent Curator and Arts Consultant

A Southern Kaantju, Umpila, and Kuuku Ya’u woman from Coen, Cape York Peninsula, she is a leading curator of First Nations art, fashion, and design. As Curator of First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (2021–23), she launched the NGV’s first Indigenous Fashion Commission, supporting First Nations artists in fashion and textiles. Previously, as Bendigo Art Gallery’s inaugural First Nations Curator (2018–21), she curated Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion, Australia’s first major survey of Indigenous fashion with national and international impact.

Circe Henestrosa, Head, School of Fashion LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore

A Mexican fashion curator, Circe explores tangible and intangible heritage to shape new design languages. She curated Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo (2012) at The Frida Kahlo Museum, co-curated Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up (2018) at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and curated Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image (2025) at Bendigo Art Gallery. Her work critically examines identity, tradition, and innovation in fashion curation.

Sai-Wai Foo, Visual Artist and PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Programming & Events Executive

A Malaysian-born Chinese artist based in Naarm/Melbourne, Sai-Wai integrates fashion design techniques, finishes, and materials into her practice. As a Programmer for PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, she leads the Independent Programme, showcasing emerging designers, small-scale makers, graduates, and community organizations. The programme examines fashion’s cultural role through workshops, exhibitions, performances, independent runways, screenings, and talks, fostering innovation and dialogue within the industry.

Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM:

The Sustainable Fashion Prize is a powerful example of how Geelong is building on its rich textile legacy while embracing the future of sustainable design. As a UNESCO City of Design, we are proud to support this important program that connects our City’s historic roots in textile manufacturing with a new wave of global innovation. This prize is a celebration of creativity, sustainability, and our ongoing commitment to shaping a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.

Padraic Fisher, National Wool Museum Director:

We the Makers celebrates the bold vision and ingenuity of emerging designers who are reimagining fashion for a more sustainable future. This prize not only recognises creative excellence but also champions the urgent shift toward ethical, slow, and circular fashion. The winning design will be acquired into the Museum’s permanent collection, preserving a piece of this transformative movement for generations to come. The National Wool Museum is proud to provide a global platform for designers who are not just making clothes — they’re shaping the future of the industry.

Shortlist – We The Makers Sustainable Fashion Prize 2025:

NATHANIEL YOUKHANA, Sydney NSW Australia

Untitled

SASHA MATTEUCCI, Lismore NSW Australia

Audio Wave Weaving Wearable

CHRISTINA SUNTOVSKI, Point Cook VIC Australia

Dressing Dance Performance

SHIVA YOUSEFPOURSHAHRIVAR, Sydney NSW Australia

UNBOUND

CHRISTOPHER HRYSANIDIS, Melbourne VIC Australia

Lilies

SILVIA ACIEN, England

Freckle

INDIGO STUART, Brisbane QLD Australia

Inheritance

ALICE PÃRTELPOEG, Estonia

OF SCARCITY

ABHA GUPTA, Melbourne VIC Australia

16o8

Corin Corcoran, Melbourne VIC Australia

sustain our stains

ELISE MASCIA, USA

Sankofa

LIAM HOLMES, Melbourne VIC Australia

Saturns Return i

HAYLEY (MOOSE) VAN REE, Melbourne VIC Australia

Head Over Heels

KATYA EKIMIAN, USA

Heritage Wool Evening Gown

ISABELLA CHARLES, Gold Coast QLD Australia

The Hunter

ETHAN BERGERSEN, Sydney NSW Australia

ECDYSIS

MAX BELL, Melbourne VIC Australia

Transfiguration

ISOBEL HYLAND, Melbourne VIC Australia

Pivot City Punk

SHERRY JOHNSTONE, Warrnambool VIC Australia

Coastal Country

CHENCHEN YU, Japan

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