The finalists for the 2012 LMFF National Designer Award have been announced. This year there are five: Christopher Esber, Magdalena Velevska, Michael Lo Sordo, Lui Hon and above.
The LMFF Designer Award is the country's most prestigious award for emerging fashion designers. This year it is presented by Tiffany and Co and the Weekend Australian. Past award winners include Dion Lee, and last year, Song For The Mute.
The Award recipient this year is honoured not just for their raw design talent, but also their business nous, with each candidate having to present a strong business plan as part of the judgement process.
Here are our thoughts on their odds.
Christopher Esber - Was one of the Australian Five taken to New York by Woolmark as part of the G'Day USA program. He was also chosen as one of The New Antipodeans by LMFF, which is the Australian submission to London Fashion Week's International Emerging Fashion Talent Award. Esber has received high praise in the past for his collections, and now it seems his business plan is finally catching up to his capabilities as a designer.
Magdalena Velevska - Already stocked at Myer, Magdalena Velevska underwent an impressive flourishing in 2011 after a stellar fashion week presentation. She followed that collection with an AW12 offering that proved just as gorgeous, maintaining her new signature of modernist folk crossed with a twenties flare, while still proving to be commercially covetable.
Michael Lo Sordo - Just won Qantas' Spirit Of Youth Award for fashion, so is already having a stand out year. His creations are commercially accessible, and the designer has been doing well for several seasons now, something that's not easy in the volatile Australian market. He really needs a website though.
Lui Hon - Stocked at Assin and blessed by Helmut Lang, Lui Hon was a finalist in last year's LMFF Designer Award too. His stockist list, like Esber's, is no match for Velevska or Lo Sordo's, but his draped, de-and-reconstructed aesthetic combined with a lingering eastern fusion does hint at a future for Australian fashion that relies on nearer neighbours than Europe and the US for exporting.
Above - Like Esber, Above were selected by LMFF to have their clothes displayed as part of The New Antipodeans designer submission. Their aesthetic is very Melbourne-indie, which their stockist list reflects, and they have a significant cult following.