Loro Piana announces Knit Design Award winners

Italian fashion brand Loro Piana has named two students from the Institut Français de la Mode, Paris as winners of its Knit Design Award 2022.

The international competition challenged students from six schools of fashion and design including North Carolina State University, the Institut Français de la Mode, Heriot Watt University of Edinburgh, the Politecnico di Milano, Shenkar College of Tel Aviv and Bunka Fashion College of Tokyo to reinterpret the brands ‘Traveller Jacket’ and create a personal, knitwear version.

The award, which was first launched in 2016, gives students the chance to present their creative interpretation of some iconic yarns that “represent the excellence of Loro Piana”.

The 2022 winners were students Po-Chieh Chiu and Shanon Poupard from the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris. They were chosen by a judging panel that included Loro Piana’s chief executive Damien Bertrand, knitwear designer Chet Lo, Vogue Italia’s Sara Sozzani Maino, and TikTok star Letizia Schätzinger.

Each of the winners will receive an employment contract with the company and have the opportunity to create their winning garment in the brand's knitwear workshop. They will be able to work alongside Loro Piana artisans and experience first-hand all the stages that lead to the creation of an item. The project will then be shown during Pitti Filati, scheduled in Florence from June 29 to July 1.