(Sydney, 28 April 2017): Kacey Devlin has been announced the winner of the 2017 BT Emerging Fashion Designer Award at the BT Runway For Success event held last night at the Royal Hall of Industries in Sydney.
Kacey’s design style already carries a strong signature with her abhorrence for buttons and a unique way of tying and styling her pieces. This design approach stands out as Kacey’s collection opens a space where we are no longer passive consumers, but rather active co-creators styling our clothes in new ways.
Kacey focuses on the unconscious decisions we make as women and the duality of the female body as a starting point for each collection. Continually exploring the balance between strength and fragility. With a soft deconstructed approach to tailoring, Kacey sees the emergence of a new modern classic, her own interpretation of the contemporary uniform of the modern women and the relaxed Australian aesthetic.
Already a cult-like favourite amongst the fashion set and featured in a swathe of international fashion publications, Kacey Devlin’s brand can be found in over thirteen selected boutiques.
Edwina McCann editor-in-chief Vogue Australia and Chairman of the Australian Fashion Chamber said: “Kacey’s clothes are not just totally wearable, they are made from the most beautiful fabrics. As a designer, Kacey has made a commitment to creating a label that uses sustainably sourced materials with unique and multifunctional designs. I look forward to seeing Kacey grow and flourish.”
Jane Watts, General Manager Private Wealth at BT Financial Group, said supporting upcoming fashion designers in Australia was important given the far reaching, disruptive forces that are radically impacting the fashion industry value chain. The Award is one way of shining the light on the next generation of fashion designer talent while also lending a helping hand to ensure that the winner has the right support infrastructure to thrive both personally and professionally.
2017 marks the fifth year of the BT Emerging Fashion Designer Award and the standard of entries was once again incredibly high. Entries were judged by a panel of esteemed fashion industry professionals, including: Vogue Australia Editor-in-Chief and Australian Fashion Chamber Chairman Edwina McCann; Amanda Shadforth from Oracle Fox; Founder of the Whitehouse Institute of Design Leanne Whitehouse, Mareile Osthus from THE ICONIC and Westpac Chief Compliance Officer & Group General Counsel, Rebecca Lim.
Kacey Devlin, together with 2017 finalists Celeste Tesoriero and We are Kindred, were part of an exclusive-to-BT fashion show last night along with eight of Australia’s leading designers: Bianca Spender, Camilla + Marc, Carla Zampatti, Dion Lee, Gary Bigeni, Ginger and Smart, Manning Cartell and Rachel Gilbert.
As the 2017 winner, Kacey Devlin takes home a prize valued at over $70,000. Including:
- A $10,000 cash grant from BT;
- Two years of financial planning services provided by BT;
- An Australian Fashion Chamber membership;
- Two mentoring sessions with a fashion industry icon provided by the Australian Fashion Chamber;
- Accounting and business advisory services for two years, provided by Bentleys NSW;
- Two premium economy return flights to New York courtesy of QANTAS;
- Backstage hair services for two major fashion events; three months-worth of hairdressing at TONY&GUY’s head office and two look books or editorial shoots by TONI&GUY;
- A one year subscription with new media content business Flaunter;
- A Jeroboam of Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve and up to $4,500 of Champagne Taittinger products for the winner to use at their post awards events from Champagne Taittinger & McWilliam’s Wines
In addition, BT has partnered with Australia’s largest online fashion retailer, THE ICONIC www.theiconic.com.au to offer the Kacey Devlin collection to clients attending the event. Ten per cent of all sales will be donated to Dress for Success, a not for profit organisation empowering women in need so they achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency.
The BT Emerging Fashion Designer Award was established in 2013 with the goal of identifying emerging designers and providing support in the form of financial advice and mentoring to help them grow their wealth personally and professionally. Kacey Devlin joins previous winners: macgraw (2016), Emma Mulholland (2015), Michael Lo Sordo (2014) and Christopher Esber (2013). The BT Emerging Fashion Designer Award is a partnership between BT Financial Group and the Australian Fashion Chamber.
-ENDS-
About Kacey Devlin
Inspired by the unconscious decisions we make as women, KACEY DEVLIN looks to the duality of the female body as a starting point for each collection. Continually exploring the balance between strength and fragility. Each collection remains the same, no matter the premise of creative, KACEY DEVLIN promotes the empowerment of women, through redefining the female form while exposing new ways of a looking at the familiar.
With a soft deconstructed approach to tailoring, KACEY DEVLIN sees the emergence of a new modern classic, her own interpretation of the contemporary uniform of the modern women. KACEY DEVLIN opens a space where we are no longer passive consumers, but rather active co-creators. 2017 Tiffany & Co National Designer Award, International Woolmark Prize.
About BT Financial Group
BT Financial Group is the wealth management arm of the Westpac Group. BT has been helping Australians prepare for the best since 1969. Today BT helps thousands of customers find superannuation, investment, financial advice and insurance solutions to suit their personal needs and goals.
About the Australian Fashion Chamber
The Australian Fashion Chamber was established as a not-for-profit organisation, united by the vision to strengthen, promote and develop Australian fashion design by nurturing talent, originality and facilitating success in Australia and globally. Led by Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia, Edwina McCann, the Australian Fashion Chamber was officially launched in the beginning of 2014.
For more information, please contact:
Courtney Miller
Australian Fashion Chamber
courtney@australianfashionchamber.com
M: +61 458 088 227
Lisa Parrett
Media Relations Manager
BT Financial Group
Lisa.Parrett@BTFinancialgroup.com
M +61 432 933 796
Downloads
-
Media release download (PDF 505 KB)
Information is current as at 28/04/2017.
