Woolmark names Zaid Affas and Dyne the US regional prize winners

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jul 19, 2017

The Woolmark Company on Tuesday announced Zaid Affas and Dyne as the winners of the 2017/18 International Woolmark Prize US Regional at NeueHouse in New York City.

 
The two designers presented their collections to a panel of judges that included Steven Kolb, Julie Gilhart, Kate Lanphear, Nick Sullivan, Laura Brown, Malcolm Carfrae, Stefano Tonchi, Michelle A. Lee and André Leon Talley. The judges announced the winners in an intimate setting hours later, with the competitors, their guests and models that wore each of the winners’ looks.
 
The winning designers, Zaid Affas and Dyne’s Christopher Bevans, will receive AU$70,000 to produce their final collections, and vie for an opportunity to win the recently increased prize of AU$200,000.

Dyne, the US menswear finalist, launched in 2015 with apparel that feature optimal function made possible by innovative fabrics. Founder Christopher Bevans launched the label after serving as Creative Director of Nike’s Blue Ribbon Sports Division, now known as Nike Sportswear. He was also a member of the Sean John team that won the 2004 CFDA Menswear Award, and he designs bespoke pieces for the likes of Jay Z, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, LeBron James and John Legend.

“It’s an honor to make it into the region and be recognized by your colleagues and people you’ve looked up to in your career. It’s an honor. We worked hard to be here,” said Bevans.
 
The designer had a very eventful and positive week this week, with a successful second show at NYFW: Men’s for his spring 2018 collection and being named one of the 2017 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists.
 
The US womenswear finalist Zaid Affas was very excited about the win on Tuesday. The British designer launched his eponymous label in 2014, after having graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design and having worked at Ralph Lauren and Ports 1961. With his collections, the Los Angeles-based designer creates a dialogue between natural organic shapes and crisp, urban engineering.
 
Affas thanked the CFDA and Woolmark after winning the award, as well as his team, his parents, and his brother, who is his business partner. Affas joked that his brother “has to put up with him all of the time.”