Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize Announces 2022 Winner

2022 11 09 Wv FASHION PRICE MADELEINE CARSTENSEN 0607 1

Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen wins Wesset & Vett Fashion Prize 2022

For 2022, the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize became the new name for the award formerly known as the Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize. This change of name marks the prize’s independence and celebrates the entrepreneurship and innovation of the department store Magasin du Nord’s 19th century founders, Theodor Wessel and Emil Vett.

The tenth anniversary marked a new grand prize of DKK 500,000 and was awarded by Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg to this year’s winner, Iso.Poetism. Each of the finalists have been rewarded DKK 10,000 for their mutual effort and participation as recognition hereof as well as having had a mentor assigned since they were nominated for the prize in August.

“Recognizing the integral role of young designers in contributing to the necessary transformation of the fashion industry to a sustainable one is critical. The Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize is about just that; recognizing upcoming Danish designers who are showing the way – taking their role seriously by designing responsibly and sustainably.”
– Crown Princess Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark

The four finalists — Birrot, Iso.Poetism, Nicklas Skovgaard and Sophia Khaled — presented their collections and business concepts to an international jury of industry experts holding a diverse range of experience and specialisms across the board. Each of the finalists were praised for their design talent, sustainable vision, innovation, creativity and business entrepreneurship – all of which were included as criteria in the jury’s decision for this year’s winner.

“I am obviously extremely overwhelmed and thankful for being recognized for the work we do as well as being extremely thankful for the platform Wessel & Vett provides – it is truly a unique and extraordinary experience. It has been a bumpy ride personally, and to be winning today makes it all worthwhile. We cannot wait for the next phase for the brand and are ever so grateful for Wessel & Vett, the prize and Copenhagen Fashion Week for the platforms they provide. I am excited to be a part of CPHFW NEWTALENT and open the AW23 season. Lastly, all of this wouldn’t have been possible without my exceptionally hard-working team.”
– Tobias Birk Nielsen, Founder and Creative Director at Iso.Poetism

This year, the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize announced a significant expansion – the launch of a strategic partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week via the recently established talent support scheme, CPHFW NEWTALENT. The collaboration is a testament to both the Prize and CPHFW’s dedication to supporting, promoting, and nurturing Nordic design talent for domestic and international growth and impact.

The collaboration with CPHFW will see the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize winner get the opportunity to be enrolled into CPHFW NEWTALENT and thus the official show schedule for three consecutive seasons. Additionally, the winner will be offered the opening show slot for the AW23 season and a spot in the CPHFW NEWTALENT Spring/Summer Showroom, alongside mentoring, extensive communications, and inclusion in all CPHFW official activities and opportunities.

“2022 marks a special year for a couple of reasons. This year, we celebrate the prize’s tenth year anniversary – ten years of working to support new Danish design talent to a successful start of their career. Ten years of working towards putting sustainable and responsible design and production at the forefront while celebrating creativity and craftsmanship. Our new name, Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize, reflects the prize’s constant development just as the industry it operates within.”
– Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, Founder of the W&V Fashion Prize and Board Member of the W&V Foundation

“The four finalists of this year’s prize represent a new wave of Danish fashion design talent. While each targets a different part of the fashion market and are in various stages of maturity, they collectively have demonstrated a clear understanding of their brand universes and how they see themselves grow in the future. Today’s winner, Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen has a proven track record of slowly building a financially stable and sustainable as well as a clear understanding around every aspect of his brand – from who his customer is to the space he occupies to where he goes next. We believe he has everything needed to succeed in today’s fashion world.”
– Christopher-Jacques Morency, Chief Brand Officer at Vanguards

About Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize

The Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize is Scandinavia’s most prestigious and independent award for fashion design. The Prize was established by the Wessel & Vett Foundation in 2012 as an expression of its core values; entrepreneurship and creativity. The Prize reflects the Foundation’s commitment to nurturing Danish design talent and building on the heritage of Magasin as a historical fashion institution.

About Wessel & Vett Foundation

The Wessel & Vett Foundation was created by the descendants of department store Magasin’s founders, Emil Vett and Theodor Wessel. The foundation is independent of Magasin, but primarily supports activities related to the department store, its history, and descendants.