Bestseller names winners of first Vila Talent Awards

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Jun 11, 2018

Danish fashion group Bestseller has announced the winner of the first ever Vila Talent Awards.

This years recipients are Dutch photographer Elisabeth van Aalderen, 31, from Haarlem, and German designer Pia Schulz, 27, who hails from Berlin.

The Vila Talent Awards are based on the idea of spotting and nurturing talent, which is a strong tradition at Bestseller, according to the group.

The jury of the Vila Talent Awards consisted of 17 industry professionals from different European countries, including: Marie Aasbjerg Andersen, designer at Vila Denmark; Jorge Mier-Terán, a photographer from Spain; and Cara Schiffelers, fashion director at Marie Claire The Netherlands.

Jury member, Cara Schiffelers, fashion director at Dutch Marie Claire and jury rapport on Van Aalderen’s work, said: “Like no other, Elisabeth embodies the pretty picture focus on the female look, which is representative of Vila. Modern with a distinctive twist!”

Pernille Kramer, member of the jury and clothing project manager at Vila, commented on Schulz's work: “Pia has designed a collection of only five pieces that still manages to be extremely coherent. I have a strong sense that this collection will be embraced by many and will make it possible for us at VILA to work closely with even more new talent, and can’t wait to see it completed in our stores.”

Bestseller-owned brand Vila conducted an international search throughout Europe to select this year’s talent. More than 350 participants submitted their work in the categories design and photography. The brand aimed to find a designer who could design a five-piece capsule party collection, and a photographer who would shoot the image campaign.

Schulz's five-piece collection will be available at Vila stores across Europe from November 2018, accompanied by the images shot by Van Aalderen.