Woolmark's Winners Launch In London

Since Public School abd M Patmos won the International Woolmark Prize for menswear and womenswear respectively, they have been busy working in the studio producing their first funded collections and now they are available for all to see as they go on sale at Harvey Nichols today.

"We learned so many new things about wool that we never knew," Dao-Yi Chow of Public School told us of the experience. "We had no idea how versatile it was - moisture wicking, easy to clean and durable. This victory means a lot to us since we were the first US designers to take home this prize, but beyond that it means we can continue to really develop our knitwear business in a bigger way which will help to define the Public School look even further."

For Marcia Patmos, designing her winning collection - that was judged by Victoria Beckham, Franca Sozzani, Colin McDowell and Angelica Cheung - allowed her to show off the versatility of wool as well as her skill as a designer.

"It was a very surreal and exciting experience to be presenting to and speaking with such an amazing panel, as it was quite an intimate and respectful setting I feel like I learned a lot from the interaction," she said. "In researching the collection, we found new discoveries in merino including merino elastic, tulle, and batting. We also created custom fabrics by handspinning yarn from upcycled fabric left over from production."

For the Public School boys the prize comes in what has probably been their busiest year to date, having been appointed as co-creative directors at DKNY as well as maintaining their own label. So how do the duo find managing their time?

"We just have to be very organised and persistent," said Maxwell Osbourne. "We can't get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the jobs at hand. And plus we enjoy the challenge, that keeps us focused."