Tine Thygesen joins jury of entrepreneurial fashion prize
I’m excited to share that I’ll be part of this year's jury for Magazine du Nord Fashion Prize.
The prize is looking to award 200,000 DKK to an upcoming Danish designer or design brand who can demonstrate superior design qualities, as well as sustainable and convincing business potential.
I am not a fashion person, but I’m extremely interested in their entrepreneurial qualities - such as the commercial potential for their brands and their capabilities to build and grow an organisation. In my experience that the hardest part, of the journey, there are many people with great ideas, but few that succeed in executing them. And fashion is not just pretty fabrics, it’s a big business. Danish fashion brands export for more than 30 billion DKK annually and have been on an impressive growth journey the last decades.
Personally I’m very concerned about climate change, so I’m hoping Danish designers will lead a global transition towards a more sustainable fashion industry, as the current form is destructive and polluting. That hope is part of my reason for accepting a spot on the jury, as I’m keen to get to peak under the bonnet of their business and sustainability plans. Maybe even see if I can make some introductions to sustainable partners and channels to encourage this path.
Building a fashion brand is a tough journey, and one that’s hard to get funding for. Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize is a rare chance for new designers to get a bit of money to get their companies off the ground. It is the brainchild of Nina Wedell Wedelsborg, a long-term supporter of new fashion talent, and my respect for her dedication is the other reason I’ve accepted the role.
The Jury:
Nina Wedell Wedelsborg, founder, Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize
Giacomo Piazza, founder, 247
Nicolaj Reffstrup, co-founder, Ganni
Ida Pettersson, buying director, Browns
Tine Thygesen, Entrepreneur
Rebecca Bay, creative director, Marimekko
Pernille Teisbæk, Fashion Entrepreneur
Olya Kuryshchuk, editor-in-chief, 1Granary
Diane Verde Nieto, CEO, Positive Luxury
Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week
The finalists will be revealed on Sunday August 9th, as part of the official opening of Copenhagen Fashion Week. The entries have already been selected, so it’s too late to enter.
Images by @lana_ohrimenko
