Dion Lee named Australian Fashion Laureate
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Fashion designer Dion Lee has received one of the most prestigious awards granted by the Australian fashion industry, the Australian Fashion Laureate.
The New York-based designer was presented his award at a gala of 300 people at Sydney’s Barangaroo Cutaway on Thursday.
32 year old Lee is now the youngest recipient of this award. He joins the ranks of designers such as Akira Isogawa and Collette Dinnigan. Australia's Fashion Laureate is now in its tenth year.
Over the past several years, Lee has become a regular at New York Fashion Week and has built up quite the New York fanbase, but Australia is a core part of his business. The designer also has over 70 wholesale accounts Currently, the designer operates eight stores there in addition to e-commerce.
Lee was able to expand his business thanks to selling stake in his business to Sydney-based Cue Clothing Co.
“[The Laureate] is a bit of a landmark moment for me — knowing that it is voted by your peers,” said Lee to WWD. “It has been a really surreal journey and not a journey without its ups and downs in the past few years. I feel really lucky for my brand to have been supported by our industry from such an early age,” he added.
The Australian Fashion Laureate Awards is decided by a panel of 50 members, and is managed by IMG.
photo: via Dionlee.com