The Woolmark Company, together with the Swiss sportswear brand On and the Italian skiwear manufacturer Salewa, has announced the winners and 12 finalist concepts for the Woolmark Performance Challenge 2021.
On challenged attendees to explore apparel innovation for outdoor runners, while Salewa encouraged them to explore eco-friendly fabric technologies to design thermo-regulating apparel.
For the incubation program, the winners were selected from more than 400 international applications, with the 12 finalists presenting their projects to the jury beforehand.
All finalists were mentored by industry experts during the selection process and program to further develop their concepts and enhance their design thinking.
For On, German student Caroline Schinle was recognized with an internship at the brand for her sustainable filling technology for padded jackets. The brand also presented a new research award to India-based Harleen Kaur for her project addressing the needs of pregnant and postpartum runners.
The winner of the Salewa internship is US student Dan Winegar for his innovation in automatically adjusting insulation, which allows fabrics to switch between insulation and cooling depending on activity.
Finally, Francesco Matera, a student at the IED Milan, received the Woolmark research grant worth 10,000 euros. Matera presented a garment that acts like a second skin, adapting to the body through support and manipulation as it moves.
Registrations for the next edition of the programme, which is being run in partnership with French sports outfitter Saloman, are now open to university students from all over the world.
This translated article previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.