history of the awards Given the maturity of the market and the high degree of competition that exists today, introducing new concepts which allow a brand to distance itself from its competitors is a very complex task. The international projection of Spanish fashion is continually growing, which is why for MANGO it is essential to come up with innovative projects which add value to the brand. Within this context, MANGO created the MANGO Fashion Awards in order to offer a new media platform for emerging talents and offer them the opportunity to produce and market their collections. The event was launched in November 2006, when MANGO officially announced the creation of a Spanish award to promote the creativity of young designers around the world. The competition also offers the biggest prize money in its category, distributed into ten payments of 18,000 euros to each of the ten finalists, and a first prize of 300,000 euros for the winner. MANGO Fashion Awards, which is held every 18 months, is supported by five prestigious European fashion design schools: Central St. Martins School of Art and Design (London); ESDi, Escola Superior de Disseny (Barcelona); Institut Français de la Mode (Paris); Istituto Marangoni (Milan-Paris-London) and Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Antwerpen (The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp). international awards in support of fashion design mangofashionawards.com first edition During the first edition of the MANGO Fashion Awards more than 250 projects were received from designers all over the world. After studying all the projects submitted, 50 finalists were selected in the first instance. After careful evaluation, 10 finalists were selected and announced in a list on 7 May 2007 in Barcelona, at the launch of MANGO’s new Autumn/Winter 07-08 collection. The list included designers of the stature of the Spaniard Txell Miras, the Belgians Christian Wijnants, Sandrina Fasoli and Cathi Pill, the German duo of Clara Leskovar and Doreen Schultz, the French designers Felipe Oliveira Baptista and Sadaharu Hoshino, two duos based in the United Kingdom formed by Sarah Swah and Toshio Yamanaka, and Sachiko Okada and Aaron Shariff, and a Japanese designer, Mikio Sakabe. They were all given the unique opportunity to present a collection of 10 outfits before a prestigious international jury, chaired by the acclaimed designer Valentino Garavani. Sandrina Fasoli and Michael Marson, winners of the first edition and their collection. In addition to Valentino, the final jury was made up of Liz Hurley (famous model and actress), Carla Sozzani (General Manager of Corsocomo), Marigay McKee (Fashion and Beauty Manager of Harrods), Joana Bonet (Editor of Marie Claire Spain), Antoni Bernad (famous photographer), Naty Abascal (fashion icon), Isak Andic (Chairman of MANGO), Damián Sánchez (Managing Partner and Creative Director of MANGO) and representatives of the five participating design schools: Riccardo Agostini, of the Istituto Marangoni of Milan, Patrick de Muynck, of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp, Christopher New, of Central St. Martins School of London, Francine Pairon, of the Institute Français de la Mode of Paris and Antoni Garrel, of the ESDi, Escola Superior de Disseny. second edition In the second edition of the event, there were more than 250 participants worldwide. After the various evaluations, 10 candidates were once again selected as finalists. This time, MANGO, in collaboration with Barcelona City Council, transformed the main artery of the city, Paseo de Gràcia, into an improvised shop window in which the ten finalist collections were exhibited. The exhibition, located at the intersection of the streets Aragón and Rosellón, consisted of 20 perspex cubicles. Each cubicle contained 4 mannequins, dressed in the collections of the ten finalists. Each participant was allowed to exhibit 8 outfits, made up of the exclusive garments they had produced especially for the occasion. The exhibition was open to the public from 27 April to 2 May 2009. For one week, visitors were able to view and appraise the innovative designs competing for the top prize. Each cubicle measured 1.50 m wide by 2.80 m high and was constructed of a stable base of steel or MDF with a polycarbonate housing. Each housing was also equipped with a battery, making it possible to illuminate the base of the cubicle during the night or at selected times. On 29 April, the Jury conducted a tour of the various exhibits, in order to value the collections on the basis of the originality, quality and innovation of their designs. Later, MANGO offered an exclusive press conference to give a final evaluation and announce the name of the competition winner. This was attended by all the candidates, accompanied by members of the Jury: Oscar de la Renta, as Chairman, the multi-talented Nina Garcia, Director of Marie Claire US magazine, Laura Larbalestier, from the Purchasing Department of Selfridges, Armand Hadida, manager of the prestigious Parisian boutique L’Éclaireur, the Director and cool hunter of Rinascente, Tiziana Cardini, the acclaimed fashion consultant, Jean Jacques Picart, Verónica Blume, one of Spain’s most internationally famous models, Jerry Hall, the famous model of the 80s, the winners of the first edition of competition, Sandrina Fasoli & Michaël Marson, the photographer of the moment, Mariano Vivanco, and, of course, Isak Andic, the Chairman of MANGO, and Damián Sánchez, Managing Partner and Creative Director of the firm. Hours later, during the awards ceremony which took place in the evening, MANGO launched its Autumn/Winter 09-10 collection, and awarded the Botón de Oro lifetime achievement award to the designer Oscar de la Renta and the award to the young South Korean designer Lee Jean Youn, the winner of the second edition of the event. The act was attended by various celebrities from the fashion world. third edition The application period for this edition opened on 11 November 2009 and closed in the middle of March 2010. From the 50 projects selected from more than 200 received in the first application period, the Jury, made up of MANGO representatives and the five design schools mentioned previously (Central St. Martins School of Art and Design of London, Institut Français de la Mode of Paris, Istituto Marangoni of Milan, Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp and Escola Superior de Disseny of Barcelona), selected the 10 finalists with the most talent and international projection to compete for the winning prize in this third edition. The finalists were: Motonari Ono, of Japanese origin, the Spanish duo formed by Javier Zazo and Clara Brull, the British duo formed by Matthew Cunnington and John Sanderson, Harvey Bouterse and Lena Lumelsky, both from Belgium, Rocco Iannone from Italy, the Italian duo made up of Fabio Sasso and Juan D. Caro, Jean-Pierre Braganza from the United Kingdom, Michael Sontag from Germany and the Austrian designer Isabelle Steger. During the fashion show to launch its new Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, MANGO officially presented the 10 finalists of this edition and handed them a cheque for 18,000€ to start designing the collection they would present at the final ceremony on 20 October. Known as the enfant terrible of fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, acted as Chairman of the Jury accompanied at all times by the other members of the Jury: the fashion consultant Elio Fiorucci, the young designer Lee Jean Youn, the fashion expert Naty Abascal, the photographer Mario Sorrenti, Jean Pierre Bua and Luis Balaguer, owners of the multi-brand store Jean Piere Bua, Pascale Camart, purchasing manager of Galeries Lafayette, Marie-Cristiane Marek, fashion editor, Nieves Álvarez, fashion icon, Damián Sánchez, Managing Partner and Creative Director of MANGO, and the company Chairman, Isak Andic. During the final ceremony, MANGO also counted on the presence of Scarlett Johansson, the brand’s ambassador, who was responsible for handing the Botón de Oro to the Chairman of the Jury as a lifetime achievement award. Next, it was the turn of the Belgian finalist Lena Lumelsky, who received from Jean Paul Gaultier the biggest prize in the fashion world, worth 300,000€. Lena Lumelsky, winner of the third edition and her collection. fourth edition On 15 February, MANGO launched the 4th edition of these awards which promises to be as or more exciting than the previous editions. From the 50 projects selected from over 250 received in the first round, the Jury has selected the 10 finalists with the most talent and international projection, who will now compete to be proclaimed the winners of this edition. The finalists are: the Spanish duo Sergio Pastor and Ismael Alcaina, Takashi Nishiyama, originally from Japan, Dutch entrant Harvey Bouterse, the Swedish pair Stefanie Malmgreen de Oliveira and Richard Lindqvist, the Finn Tuomas Laitinen, the French designer Christine Phung, Mads Dinesen from Denmark, Takayuki Tanaka from Japan, Wisharawish Akarasantisook, who is from Thailand, and Haesung Bong from Korea. After a thorough assessment, on 30 May the overall winner will be announced, who will receive a prize of €300,000, the biggest in its category. Following on from the success of the previous editions, the MANGO Fashion Awards has achieved major recognition within the industry, particularly among new fashion designers. MANGO is therefore continuing to position itself as a creative brand which is committed to design and young fashion talent, by helping them realise their dreams. mangofashionawards.com.