Ann-Sofie Johansson

Ann-Sofie Johansson is Head of Design at H&M and takes part in all of the national jury sessions, as well as the international final jury session during the H&M Design Award 2012.

Q: What currently inspires you?
A: People. Always!

Q: What do you like to read?
A: Jonathan Franzen’s new book, and fashion magazines.

Q: Favorite fashion era, and why?
A: Can’t choose between 50´s rockabilly look or 60´s mod.

Q: Favorite fashion designer at the moment?
A: Dries van Noten.

Q: Favorite historic fashion designer?
A: Madeleine Vionnet.

Q: What do you like to listen to?
A: Feist’s new album.

Q: What did you most enjoy being part of the jury?
A: To see so much talent!

Q: Who do you think is the most influential person in fashion right now?
A: Lady Gaga.

Q: What lies ahead for students trying to make it in fashion today, compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
A: I think the competition is much harder today.

Q: What are the main principles you keep in mind when reviewing a collection?
A: Creativity and craftsmanship.

Kristopher Arden-Houser

Kristopher Arden-Houser is a fashion journalist and writer for “Talents” in Vogue Italia, among other magazines. He is born in California but splits time between New York City, Los Angeles and Antwerp, travels nearly 80% of the time researching, producing original content, lecturing and sitting on juries pertaining to young fashion “Talents”. He also participates in the international jury for the H&M Design Award 2012.

Q: What currently inspires you?
A: The lesser known, the abundantly talented, and the blenders of varying disciplines - those who create with informed intuition inspires me the most.

Q: What do you like to read?
A: I’m currently reading a biography on Bruce Chatwin by Nicholas Shakespeare. I read and review most titles published by Primary Information from New York City and Nieves Books from Zurich, CH as well as a myriad of printed newspapers - I still love touching my news.

Q: Favorite fashion era, and why?
A: I like many periods but a favorite is certainly the 20’s. I love the era’s transition from constriction to the more comfortable. It was a drastic change aesthetically - underpinnings used as outwear, the technology of metal via hook and eyes and the zipper. This paired with drop-waisted dresses, wide trousers and the over-all influence of change and prosperity.

Q: Favorite fashion designer at the moment?
A: My favorite designers, of the moment, are those who shock people by using seemingly unpopular elements and popularize them. Offering a fresh new take on what people want to wear, thereby leaving no choice but to consume their craft.

Q: Favorite historic fashion designer?
A: Like many, it’s a draw between Yves Saint Laurent and Cristobal Balenciaga - with styles that are vastly different from each other, I cannot choose between them. They are often touted as being masters of their time and with good reason.

Q: What do you like to listen to?
A: Lots of public radio, lots of vinyl, streaming culture on Monocle 24 and my various Pandora e-stations ranging from Henryk Gorecki to the Discovery.

Q: What did you most enjoy being part of the jury?
A: The best part of being in this jury was the collaboration with my fellow judges, watching them assess each designer and consider their individual strengths. Moreover, it’s was exciting to grant the prize to the winner, as this is a career-changing opportunity!

Q: What lies ahead for students trying to make it in fashion today, compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
A: Excitingly, there is more attention being paid to fashion graduates. With columns such as “Talents” in Vogue Italia, where we give an extraordinary platform to young designers, the difference might be what the designers / students do with this early celebrity. Will they leverage this notoriety for their own namesake brands or will they use it as a calling card to major houses? This is certainly a consideration that students of the past did not have.

Q: What are the main principles you keep in mind when reviewing a collection
A: Simply put I look for AUTHENTICITY. Furthermore, for me, there must be a sharp relationship between concept and technical abilities; one might be lost without the other.

Margareta Van Den Bosch

Margareta Van Den Bosch is the Creative Advisor for H&M and a member of the international jury for the H&M Design Award 2012.

Q: What currently inspires you?
A: A lot of different things. As always; art, music, people…

Q: What do you like to read?
A: Newspapers, different magazines about fashion, interior design and art, and of course, I also read a lot on the Internet.

Q: Favorite fashion era?
A: The late 60’s and early 70’s. It was so much happening, with the rock and roll scene as well as in haute couture.

Q: Favorite fashion designer at the moment?
A: I have many favorite designers; it’s hard to pick one. I’d say Alber Elbaz, and Phoebe Philo, to name a few.

Q: Favorite historic fashion designer?
A: Paul Poiret.

Q: What do you like to listen to?
A: The last concert I went to was Messiah by Handel. I also like Keith Jarrett’s piano music.

Q: What did you most enjoy being part of the jury?
A: Meeting the students, to see the work, as well as meeting the people around the students.

Q: Who do you think is the most influential person in fashion right now?
A: It is difficult to say, it’s not just one person; a lot of things are happening in the world and not only fashion.

Q: What lies ahead for students trying to make it in fashion today, compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
A: Information that you couldn’t dream of before are now accessible thanks to the Internet. That has changed a lot of things.

Q: What are the main principles you keep in mind when reviewing a collection?
A: Innovation and creativity, but also the ability to achieve commercial acceptance.

Hillary Alexander

Hillary Alexander is known for being the prominent fashion editor of The Daily Mail for the past 26 years. She recently moved on to becoming a freelance fashion consultant and freelance fashion writer, and is also a trustee of the Graduate Fashion Week. She is one of the international jury members for the H&M Design Award 2012.

Q: What currently inspires you?
A: Ancient civilizations inspire me, for a start. Ancient culture, costumes and jewelry, to travel, gardening, cats, dogs, books; I’m really inspired by everything I think.

Q: What do you like to read?
A: Oh, everything! I read books about the Tudors, ancient Egypt, and I’ve just finished a book about the fact that the Minoans probably sailed to America around about 2500 BC. They discovered the continent way before Christopher Columbus, that’s quite fascinating.

Q: What is your favorite fashion era?
A: It’s very difficult to say. I’m very keen on the turn of the 20th century towards the 20’s. But I love John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten and Marni. Anything that is beautiful, romantic and a little bit tribal.

Q: Who is your favorite fashion designer at the moment?
A: Oh, right now? I’d have to say who ever made Scheherazade’s wardrobe.

Q: Favorite historic fashion designer?
A: My favorite designer of the past would almost certainly be Coco Chanel, because I think she looked to the future, she was interested in women, in the way people lived. Many of the things she designed are still complete mainstays of today’s wardrobe; trousers, the little black dress, pearls, the nautical look. There are so many things that she actually brought to life and modern fashion would not be the same without Coco.

Q: What do you like to listen to?
A: I listen to a lot of classical music; Brahms, Beethoven, Rossini. I love opera. But I also listen to Caro Emerald, I like the new Coldplay album, I love Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris’ album, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. I listen to a whole pile of things.

Q: What did you most enjoy being part of the jury?
A: The chance to see designers from different cultures and educational systems, and the way they’re applying the teaching to creating clothes that modern women would want to buy.

Q: Who do you think is the most influential person in fashion right now?
A: I think probably one of the most influential younger persons in fashion right now would be someone like Raf Simons or Haider Ackermann. But one shouldn’t discount the massive influence of somebody like Karl Lagerfeld or Giorgio Armani that are still cracking on. There’s Armani, for example, designing things for Lady Gaga, or Karl Lagerfeld designing for Florence Welch. The ability of these maestros to constantly reinvent themselves is just staggering.

Q: What lies ahead for students trying to make it in fashion today, compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
A: There is always uncertainty, the path is always uneven, and there are always obstacles. You have to be passionate, enthusiastic, determined and really believe in yourself beyond anything. And you shouldn’t be too nasty to anybody else. It has always been that way for designers. If you talk to someone, from Yohji Yamamoto to Karl Lagerfeld you realize they were young too. It wasn’t always easy. We look at them now with mansions and yachts and art collections, showing in Paris four-five times a year and we think they have it all. But if you go back through their history when they were just starting up, you realize they had to struggle, but they were determined, and they really passionately believed in their ability and that’s what has to happen. Sometimes you’re lucky sometimes you’re not. C’est la vie.

Q: What are the main principles you keep in mind when reviewing a collection?
A: When I’m looking at a collection at the catwalk I want to be surprised, I want to be mesmerized, if you like, captivated. I want to see something I haven’t necessarily seen before.

Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane, designer

Susie Lau

Susie Lau is the brainchild behind internationally acclaimed blog Style Bubble, and works as a freelance journalist/blogger, located in London. She takes part in the international jury for the H&M Design Award 2012.

Q: What currently inspires you?
A: Tokyo-based menswear designers.

Q: What do you like to read?
A: On an everyday basis, The New Yorker and old Nancy Mitford books as a guilty pleasure.

Q: Favorite fashion era, and why?
A: Now - because we have the pick of the past and the present.

Q: Favorite fashion designer at the moment?
A: I love the work of Anthony Vaccarello, a young designer based in Paris. I think he has such an uncompromising design viewpoint.

Q: Favorite historic fashion designer?  
A: Yves Saint Laurent - there were so many facets to his work and he contributed so much to fashion today.

Q: What do you like to listen to?
A: The new M83 album.

Q: What did you most enjoy being in the jury?  
A: Seeing familiar faces on the jury panel and speaking to the finalists about their work and discovering their ideas.

Q: Who do you think is the most influential person in fashion right now?  
A: I love people like Imran Amed of Business of Fashion who is making the upper echelons of fashion really think about their strategy.

Q: What lies ahead for students trying to make it in fashion today, compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
A: I think there are far more fashion graduates today that can make the marketplace harder and with fewer jobs, it's not an easy climate to work in.  There are more solo designer breakthrough opportunities with sponsorships, prizes like this H&M one and more collaborative opportunities with brands, but it is still very challenging.  The Internet though is exposing more and more young designers though giving them more opportunities to present their work, collaborate and design in different ways.

Q: What are the main principles that you keep in mind when reviewing a collection?
A: Does the vision feel cohesive?  Is there any detailing or feature that sticks in your mind after you've seen it?  Is it derivative of something else you've seen before?