Saks Potts wins Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize 2023

Copenhagen-based womenswear brand Saks Potts has won the 2023 Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize, Scandinavia’s most prestigious award for fashion design.

The prize, formerly known as the Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize, was relaunched by the Wessel & Vett Foundation last year as an expression of entrepreneurship and creativity to reflect its commitment to nurture Danish design talent and build on the heritage of Magasin as a historical fashion institution.

Saks Potts, founded by Cathrine Saks and Barbara Potts in 2014, beat off tough competition from two other finalists, Forza Collective and Heliot Emil, to scoop the prestigious 300,000 Danish krona (40,000 euro) cash prize.

Each of the finalists presented their collections and business strategy to an international jury of industry experts, with the Wessel & Vett Foundation praising each “for their design talent, sustainable vision, innovation, creativity, and business entrepreneurship,” which were included as criteria in the jury’s decision for this year's winner.

In addition to the cash prize, Saks Potts will benefit from the strategic partnership forged last year between the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize and Copenhagen Fashion Week, which will provide the brand with “extensive communication and inclusion in all the official activities,” valued at 250,000 Danish krona (33,500 euros).

Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize names Saks Potts as 2023 winner

Commenting on the win, Catherine Saks and Barbara Potts, founders of Saks Potts, said in a statement: “Authenticity, craftsmanship and our community are at the heart of our work and winning the prize will allow us to continue to stick to our core values! With a small but passionate team, we dream big. This prize marks a significant step towards more exciting collaborations and sustainability improvements. We're on a mission to encourage our customers to buy products of even higher quality, keep their styles for many years, repair and care, and even resell after use so someone else can cherish Saks Potts afterwards.

“Every day, we strive for improvement, driven by our commitment to being authentic and doing things in an unconventional way, both in our products and the way we communicate. We are proud to be two female founders and entrepreneurs, trust me it has been a struggle to be taken seriously, but this only fuelled our fires. This prize will help us a lot in making an even more positive contribution to the fashion industry.”

Saks Potts follows in the footsteps of Anne Sofie Madsen, Cecilie Bahnsen, Mark Kenly Domino Tan, A. Roege Hove and last year’s winner, Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen.

Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, founder of The Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize and board member of The Wessel & Vett Foundation, added: “Our mission is clear - empowering the next generation of Danish fashion entrepreneurs. This year's winner, Saks Potts, demonstrates remarkable growth with a clear vision of every business aspect. Saks Potts possesses the essential skills for success in today's fashion world."