About the jury

An international jury of fashion industry professionals and media professionals, representing a cross-section of the international fashion industry, decide objectively which designer they expect is most likely to bring his/her label onto the international market. All jury members invited by the Dutch Fashion Foundation believe in its mission of promoting Dutch fashion on a national and international level.

 
Beppe Angiolini
Director Camera Italia dei Buyer della Moda, Milan

 Beppe Angiolini is the director of the Camera Italia dei Buyer della Moda, the assosiation for fashion buyers in Italy. Angiolini is also the buyer for his own high-end fashion and design boutique Sugar, located in Arezzo, Tuscany. Modeling for Italy's finest when it comes to fashion shopping, Sugar sells the leading edge of international designer fashion and accessories for both men and women. 

"Especially in today's challenging economical climate stores need to position themselves stronger then ever before with more diversity and personality in their signature choice. This means buyers worldwide have to do real research again and Dutch fashion is as legitimate a proposition in this global spectrum as fashion from anywhere else in the world. We need the diversity and this is why I am pleased to join this jury. I see a lot of talent worldwide. Talent platforms like the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award or Franca Sozzani's Who Is On Next, make a big difference, all new talents pop up from there. The way the Dutch government has been supporting the Dutch Fashion Foundation to promote talent internationally sets an extraordinary example for the rest of the world, apart from France or Italy where fashion is naturally rooted. More so, Dutch fashion's success serves the worldwide fashion balance."


Wilbert Das
Creative director Diesel, Italy

Being the Creative Director of Diesel, Wilbert Das has been dedicating himself to refining the human aspects of the creative process. For over 15 years Das has contributed to Diesel’s harmonious creative culture, which is distinct in the industry and the key to the brand's success. Wilbert Das joined Diesel straight after graduating from the Arnhem Academy of Visual Arts in 1988.

 
“After some twenty years in the business I feel a growing need to pass on my experience. In my opinion Dutch talent has not yet surfaced enough on the international scene; they are not natural born divas. As a jury member I hope to help these designers ahead. My attitude/point of view is very practical, always has been, from the very start when I graduated from the academy for the arts myself. Start up labels need a good production partner to start with, preferably one that also handles distribution and all. The manufacturer and the label have to make a perfect match, and this is very hard to find, even for the big designers and fashion houses. Winning a big award like the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award is a very valuable recognition that can definitely help a designer to grow, it’s not just for reputation.”


Valentina Maggi
Director of Design Practice, Floriane de Saint Pierre & Associes, Paris

A headhunter with passion for design in the widest sense, such as architecture, product design and fashion, Valentina Maggi joined Floriane de Saint Pierre & Associés, one of Europe's leading executive-search firms for luxury industries, in 1999. As director of Design Practice, Valentina Maggi is on top of the international talent search.

 
“Talent is fundamental but it is not enough. Success is about hard work, it’s about finding the right manufacturers, new ways of distribution as much as new ways of getting the attention of the international press and buyers. As headhunters and consultants for some of the top fashion and luxury brands, we have the privilege and the obligation of always being aware and up to date of what is happening in this business. We are always very curious to know who are the emerging talents all over the world, and we are happy to see some countries supporting their internal resources and helping them in their international development. It is very important for emerging fashion designers to know that they can count on such an award to be able to increase their visibility and pursue their international growth. I expect to meet with very talented, passionate designers, with a strong creative vision for their collections and for their brand's development, but also a very strong determination and willingness to succeed, very important skills especially in these hard times.”


Jean Jacques Picart
Fashion consultant, Paris

After putting his media mastery to work for brands such as Thierry Mugler, Cacharel, Shiseido, Emanuel Ungaro, Ferragamo, Kenzo, Hermés, Levi’s, Chloé, Jil Sander and Helmut Lang, Jean Jacques Picart devoted much of the 1980s and 1990s to the career of Christian Lacroix. Today, in addition to consulting top ranking fashion houses including the LVMH group, Picart is actively supporting young fashion designers and companies.

"This is such an anxious period but it also offers huge potential and opportunities for all the fashion activities. The crisis will force a deep change in our thinking fashion, designing fashion, showing and reporting fashion, and of course selling and buying fashion too. In such a context, fresh and new but correctly inspired fashion proposals will get a bigger attention. To be ready for the post-crisis market with new recipes for success, quite a lot of today’s successful brands will need to change. Either they will be able to, or they won’t. Any which way, there will be much more space available to new brands. This new open space is the most important opportunity for the new generation of designers, retailers and editors. I am as curious as confident about what I will encounter at the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards. By experience, I know that the beautiful surprise that talent is, can be given anywhere, anytime. I shall just keep my eyes and my mind fully open.”



Marc Gysemans
Director Gysemans Cloting Industry, Belgium

Marc Gysemans founded his company in the same period as the famous Antwerp Six and collaborated with them in the early years. He was associated with Véronique Branquinho and is licency for prominent international labels Raf Simons, Kris Van Assche and Cerruti Women.

“For any label to enter today’s market, first and foremost the collection needs to be really strong. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of prices and of using the correct marketing and sales strategy. All these things are vital to make a collection successful. I am happy to take time out of my agenda to be in this jury for all people involved in organizing the Dutch Fashion Award including most of the participants show an enormous drive and energy and clearly want to put Holland on the ’fashion map’".



Mauro Galligari
Founder of Studio Zeta, Milan
In Florence back in 1984, Mauro Galligari started Studio Zeta, a fresh and edgy showroom concept, together with Ricardo Grassi. Studio Zeta’s progressive drive and sharp intuition for talents and trends in fashion soon made them leaders in their field, forcing a move to fashion capital Milan in 1988. Studio Zeta Milano as it is called ever since, sells a wide yet cutting edge selection of designer fashion labels world wide, working closely together with the major international buying offices and department stores.

“This moment in time may not be easy, but especially for smaller fashion labels I see a lot of new opportunities. It is the big global fashion brands and luxury conglomerates that suffer the most right now. Stores have become all too similar, all selling the same brands, very dangerous. A store is not beautiful because of its architecture or the brands it sells, but for the people, the owners and their personal tastes. We need more personalized stores; in fact each store should have its own unique identity, including the big department stores. This requires a lot of new research, into new brands and breeding grounds. We started working with Dutch label Spijkers + Spijkers some time ago, so we are very curious and motivated to see more off what Dutch fashion has to offer. Fashion is one of the most international industries, so each country should propose their rising top talents, and the whole worldwide fashion industry will benefit.”