Australian Fashion Laureate names 2022 winners

IMG crowned sibling design duo Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman, of the Camilla and Marc womenswear label, as Designer of the Year at the 2022 Australian Fashion Laureate awards.

The awards honouring “exceptional” Australian designers, creatives, innovators, and leaders took place at a celebratory luncheon and ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney on November 22.

Other winners included Alémais creative director Lesleigh Jermanus scooping the Emerging Designer of the Year accolade to mark her second major award this year after being awarded the prestigious 2022 National Design Award in July.

Indigenous Designer of the Year was awarded to Laura Thompson, cofounder of Clothing The Gaps, which honours the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, while Sarah and Sebastian's jewellery duo Sarah Munro and Robert Sebastian received the Sustainable Innovation of the Year Award.

The Carla Zampatti Award for Excellence in Leadership was award to Australian Fashion Council's chief executive Leila Naja Hibri, and The People’s Choice Award was won by womenswear designer Rebecca Vallance.

The awards, which mark the country’s highest fashion accolades also awarded Australian artist Ken Done with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Done, one of Australia’s most well-known artists has held more than 100 exhibitions in Australia, Europe, Japan and the USA. Known for his bright, colourful artwork, Done launched a design company with his wife Judy, selling small runs of T-shirts featuring his prints. They were so popular that they expanded into sweatshirts, swimwear, pyjamas, and trousers, as well as homewares and accessories.

Natalie Xenita, vice president-managing director of IMG’s fashion events and properties, Asia-Pacific, said in a statement: “For fifteen years, the Australian Fashion Laureate has provided an important platform to showcase the depth and expertise of the Australian fashion industry. It’s a privilege to honour the exceptional talent of today’s winners and nominees and reflect on and celebrate the collective achievements of our industry in the company of esteemed peers.”