Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards go to The Hague

On the 6th of November 2009, the third edition of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards will take place. After having held the first two editions in Amsterdam, Dutch Fashion Foundation (DFF) has chosen to host the oncoming edition in The Hague. The prenominations will be proposed to the delegation of the international jury this month for the final selection which will be announced in September.

By choosing The Hague as the new location for the Awards, DFF further spreads her activities over The Netherlands, strengthening the national character of its organisation in The Netherlands. The city offers an exclusive platform for the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards: in a pleasant and distinguishing setting, The Hague is unmistakably a meeting place with great international appeal. The close collaboration the foundation has with the Dutch government will be further valued and celebrated in this way.

As Dutch fashion design is gaining more and more appreciation both nationally and internationally, they are making good progress in bringing their work from the catwalk to the public. In addition to the collaboration between DFF and the Bijenkorf, the largest fashion warehouse chain in The Netherlands, contact will be made with exclusive stores in The Hague aiming to make the collections of the nominated designers more accessible for a broader public.

Since the first edition of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards, it has evolved into an annual climax in the development of the Dutch fashion field. Attracting national and international leading fashion professionals to get acquainted with the leading fashion designers of The Netherlands getting ready to bring their label abroad, this initiative annually places Dutch Fashion in the international spotlight. Besides various stimulation prizes, the fashion label most likely to succeed on the international market will receive the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award, a prize of 25.000 euros handed out by the international jury.

Last edition Monique van Heist won all three the Awards: the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award 2008, the Dutch Fashion Incubator Award and the Dutch Fashion Media Award. These three Awards gave her the ability to develop her label and to expand her international activities substantially. Lectra, De Bijenkorf and Fair Wear Foundation offered their services and networks to make the Dutch Fashion Incubator Award possible. And by winning the Dutch Fashion Media Award, Van Heist received 5.000 euros and an orientation in the implications of eye wear design, made possible by Club Brilliant.

Angelique Westerhof, director of Dutch Fashion Foundation and initiator of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards: ‘We are very pleased with the enthusiastic gestures of various parties in the Dutch public and private sector to replenish the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award. In offering new rewards with their knowledge and products for the nominees, the Dutch field is increasingly gaining strength and influence in their position in the international fashion system. Our collaboration with The Hague offers a good opportunity to further fulfil this objective.’

www.dutchfashionawards.com