By Editor Design.nl / 10-11-2009

On 6 November 2009, Dutch Fashion designer Sjaak Hullekes was announced as winner of the Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Award 2009. The young menswear designer received a financial reward of €25 000 to enable him to take further steps in the international fashion industry.

The international jury chose Sjaak Hullekes out of five nominated designers during this third annual award show, including Bas Kosters, Iris van Herpen, Jeroen van Tuyl and Mada van Gaans. The label Sjaak Hullekes consists of Sjaak Hullekes and his (business) partner Sebastiaan Kramer.

On this special evening, 800 guests were invited to attend the ceremony in the Grote Kerk in The Hague. The presentation of the evening lay in the hands of the Dutch actress Hanna Verboom. Starting off the evening, last year's Mercedes-Benz Dutch Fashion Awards winner Monique van Heist presented her latest collection.

Additionally, two other awards were announced. Bas Kosters is the recipient of the Dutch Fashion Incubator Award 2009. The Dutch Fashion Incubator Award is composed of substantial in-kind contributions from the industry to the realization of the ambitions of the designer. The World Fashion Centre offers Kosters a temporary showroom to present his collection to buyers, consumers and interested parties. Department store the Bijenkorf will sell the winning collection of Bas Kosters in 2010 in its flagship stores in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.

Iris van Herpen is the winner of the Dutch Fashion Media Award. This award is presented to a designer already showing excellence in the design and quality of his or her product and the support will contribute to making the brand more visible to a broader audience. The award consists of support coordinated by brand strategy consultant Not Just Vision. Coebergh Communicatie & PR will provide Van Herpen with a personal PR strategy to build her brand.

The international jury this year consisted of Beppe Angiolini (Director Camera Italia dei Buyer della Moda, Milan), Wilbert Das (Creative director Diesel, Italy), Valentina Maggi (Director of Design Practice, Floriane de Saint Pierre & Associes, Paris), Jean Jacques Picart (Fashion consultant, Paris), Marc Gysemans (Director Gysemans Clothing Industry, Belgium) and Mauro Galligari (Founder of Studio Zeta, Milan). The awards presented were designed and produced by the Dutch design atelier Ted Noten.

Photography: Peter Stigter

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