National Designer Award 2022

PRESENTED BY

About the award

Now in its 26th year, the coveted National Designer Award presented by David Jones is Australia’s most established and prestigious award program. The award celebrates the future of Australian fashion by acknowledging designers in their formative years of business, providing finalists with opportunities for mentorship, networking, and critical industry exposure.

This year, Australia’s most talented emerging fashion designers will have the chance to win a record-high prize pool of $130,000. Additionally, the winner of the Honourable Mention for Sustainability will receive a $10,000 cash payment as well as the opportunity to undertake a bespoke mentorship program led by the sustainability team at David Jones.

The six outstanding finalists are ALEMAIS, E Nolan, CLEA, Beare Park, Joslin and BLANCA.

The winner of the National Designer Award and the the Honourable Mention for Sustainability will be announced at an industry event on 27 July 2022.

The 2022 Judging Panel

This year’s judging panel comprised industry leaders:

Philippa Moroney, Senior Fashion Editor & Market Director, Vogue Australia
Jillian Davison, Editor in Chief, Harper’s BAZAAR Australia
Camilla Freeman-Topper, Designer and Creative Director, CAMILLA AND MARC
Chris Wilson, General Manager of Menswear, David Jones
Bridget Veals, General Manager of Womenswear, David Jones
Graeme Lewsey, former CEO, Melbourne Fashion Festival
Eloise Bishop, Head of Sustainability, David Jones. 

Vote For Your People’s Choice Award Winner

Join us in recognising Australia’s vibrant fashion talent by voting for your favourite designer via this year’s newest category, the People’s Choice Award.

 FAQs

  • The National Designer Award, presented by David Jones acknowledges Australian designers who are in their formative years of business and excel in creative design, innovation, high-quality manufacturing standards, unique styling and the potential to contribute to the future growth of Australian fashion.

  • Applications for the 2023 National Designer Award will open later in 2023.

    Please check our website for updates or sign up here to be notified when applications are open.

  • The Award is judged by a panel of industry experts in two rounds. The first being a review of the online folios submitted by various designers, forming a shortlist of finalists. The second round sees finalists present to the judging panel their capsule collection presentation and an interview with the judging panel via zoom. This final round determines the winner of the Award and the recipient of the Honourable Mention for Sustainability.

    The winner of the National Designer Award will be recognised for their creative design, innovation, high-quality manufacturing standards and unique styling.

  • This year's finalists will have the chance to win a record-high prize pool of $130,000, with a monetary prize of $20,000, the opportunity to create an exclusive capsule collection for David Jones, and more.

    The recipient of the Honourable Mention for Sustainability will receive a monetary prize of $10,000.