Speaking exclusively to Style.com/Arabia, designer Babak Golkar, one of the three brothers behind The Emperor 1688, shares the moments leading up to this weekend’s win for the Middle East and India region of the prestigious Woolmark Prize.
“It was hard to start a design process trying to capture the essence of a fiber (merino wool), rather than a reference to a specific era or historical building, that could characterize an entire collection,” explained Babak Golkar of the challenges presented in preparation for the Woolmark regional finals.
Up against ten nominees for the regional menswear competition, the Golkar brothers—Haman, Farhan, and Babak—had 15 minutes to present their collection of sketches and one fully produced look before the judges. The panel included the likes of Imran Amed, Founder and Editor of The Business of Fashion; Anthony Kendal, Global Communications Director of Mytheresa.com; Peter Ackroyd, Global Strategic Advisor for The Woolmark Company; and Priyanka Khanna, Senior Fashion Features Editor for Vogue India. Afterwards, a final presentation occurred at the gala dinner at the Taj Palace hotel before industry leaders and Bollywood celebrities, after which the womenswear winner was announced—Bird on a Wire from Lebanon—and finally, for menswear, The Emperor 1688.
The designers behind The Emperor 1688 now have five months to create a capsule collection, which will be shown on the runway as part of the London Collections in January 2015.
