Japan fashion school wins award at int’l student design contest

TOKYO (Kyodo) — A Japanese fashion university has for the first time won an award at an international student design contest for sports and performance products using merino wool.

The Tokyo-based Professional Institute of International Fashion took the Institution Development Award with a 10,000 euro prize for the 2023 Woolmark Performance Challenge, hosted by the Woolmark Company, a nonprofit organization promoting Australian Merino wool.

“Your outstanding performance and your commitment to pushing sustainability and the boundaries of wool in innovation is commendable, and have truly set you apart as a leader in the field,” said Samuel Cockedy, Woolmark’s regional manager for Japan and South Korea, at an award ceremony in Tokyo last week.

With over 130 registered institutions from around 20 countries in the latest annual competition, the award goes to the school with the highest number of quality entries overall as determined by the judges, organizers said.

One student from the Tokyo institute also became the first Japanese to be selected as one of the top five individual finalists.

Second-year student Anri Amagasa was chosen for her design incorporating merino wool for the uniforms of Woolmark’s partner for the 2023 contest, Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team.

Her design, using color-changing dyes, utilizes temperature to indicate training efficiency or the need for medical support.

Established in 2019, the Tokyo institute bills itself as “the only professional university in Japan specializing in the business of fashion,” according to its website, with its graduates able to earn bachelor’s degrees.