Midori Matsuo Scoops Triumph Inspiration Award

August 3, 2008

On July 31st, fashion and design students from 31 countries and regions around the world, presented their showpieces to the world in a fabulous catwalk show at the Triumph Inspiration Award ’08 in Beijing. An inspiring expert judging panel, consisting of the Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf; Danish top model Helena Christensen; German fashion photography icon Ellen von Unwerth; colette’s chief purchaser and creative director Sarah from Colette, and Chinese top model and actress Lv Yan together with Triumph’s Jan Rosenberg, came to the decision which design piece deserves to be called the most inspired, and inspiring, of them all in 2008. Awarded their prizes by gold-medallist Linford Christie and actress Michelle Lee, the show was a true spectacle in pre-Olympic Beijing.

Midori Matsuo, 20, Japan convinced the judging panel, and was the winner of the Triumph Inspiration Award ’08 with the design “Under Skin”. She will pocket not only a cash prize of Euro 15,000 but will also see a career boosting limited edition of the winning piece as her showpiece is adapted and interpreted by the Triumph design team, leading to series production of the set which will be sold in selected Triumph stores worldwide. Theresa Bachler, 21, Germany with the design “Once Upon a Time…” will receive Euro 10,000 and Stine Fagervik-Rosèn, 28, Norway with “Desire for Beautiful Trash” will receive Euro 5,000.

All finalists from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania met and competed in pre-Olympic Beijing on July 31st, 2008, at the avant-garde 798 Art Zone situated in the Dashanzi Area. Here in Beijing’s bohemian quarter, the final was celebrated in the Factory Hall 706, which will be home to Switzerland’s National House during the Olympic Period, the “House of Switzerland”.

At the grand final of the Triumph Inspiration Award ’08, all competing finalists were under the scrutiny of the demanding juries. The international jury judged all entries according to the same criteria: innovation and creativity in interpreting the design theme “female fascination”, individuality and uniqueness, concept, aesthetics, quality in design and execution, as well as presentation. “What we love most is the fact that the students were asked to free themselves of the commercial side of things - almost no restraints were put on their creativity“, stated Viktor & Rolf.

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Written by Andy Bowden

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