The Dutch Fashion Incubator Award is composed of substantial in-kind contributions from the industry to the realization of the ambitions of the winner of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award 2008. This Award extends not only to the support of the label, but as well to illustrate the value these products and channels have for the realization of the designer’s business objectives. This year introduced the generous offer of three companies in the field of software and technology, sales and production: Department store the Bijenkorf will take a part of the winning collection up in its assortment to be sold in its flagship stores in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam next year. Lectra offers the winner of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards 2008 a package of and training-course of the Modaris ExpertPro and Kaledo software. These solutions will enable the winner to streamline and accelerate his or her design process and communication with production facilities. The Fair Wear Foundation offers not only to the winner but to all the nominated designers a course to get acquainted with the fair wear principles and are being brought in contact with production facilities that comply with the criteria of Fair Wear.

The 28 pre-nominees chosen by the Academy of Dutch Fashion Design in the first round of procedure leading up to the final nominees, have together chosen their favourite Dutch Style Icons as a collective voice of the designers, being an homage to the muses and wearers. The award for Dutch Fashion Icon Homme and Femme was presented by Dutch actor Daniel Boissevain, himself ranking high on best dressed list throughout Dutch magazines.

Fashion consultant Carlo Wijnands was chosen by the designers as their Dutch Fashion Icon Homme. Over the last years Carlo has been a well known face in the Dutch fashion scene and, as he also stated in the speech he gave accepting the award, a strong supporter of Dutch fashion and its designers.