adidas and The Woolmark Company announce 2019 Woolmark Performance Challenge winners

Julie Davies, General Manager of Processing Innovation & Education Extension, AWI/TWC

Julie has 30 years’ working experience within the textile industry. She has a vast amount of expertise in circular knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing and textile printing. Product development has been her strength, with an emphasis on wool. Consulting with leading international fashion and sports brands, Julie has worked extensively throughout the entire supply chain - from yarn development right through to the end product and consumer.

Julie joined Australian Wool Innovation in 2011 and her current role enables her to draw on her in-depth knowledge of the wool industry to develop specialised education programs for students, trade and consumers. Julie’s experience also enables her to work through the supply chain to direct and support product innovation.

Tillmann Studrucker, Senior Design Director, adidas

Tillmann Studrucker is Senior Design Director at adidas. He has worked for Salewa, Matador, F2, and Gore Tex on high technical outdoor garments in design and construction; he spent four years at Hugo Boss working in the athletics department, Boss Green; and he has now been working for adidas for more than 11 years.

Tillmann started in a multisport department working on outdoor, cycling, running, and swim and then specialized on outdoor. For seven years he has been heading up the running apparel department with a team of five designers. His own key sports have been track and field, cycling, and martial arts.

Louis de Vos, Creative Recruiter, adidas

Louis de Vos is a Creative Recruiter at adidas. He supports the adidas global design team to hire the creative talent that is needed to continue to drive brand heat, innovation and to keep adidas at the forefront of the consumers mind.

Louis has worked across a number of areas within design recruiting, including Apparel Innovation, Footwear and Creative Branding. He works with leading internal and external design talents to source, secure and grow the next generation of designers from both within adidas and also, attracting external talents to the brand. Furthermore, he is driving the campus strategy and future talent pipeline for the adidas brand through the internship program and adidas Design Academy.

Peter Bona, Head of Design Outerwear, Trousers, Textile Accessories, Hugo Boss Athleisure

Peter Bona is passionate about the creation, development and evolution of wearable technology concepts. With a background that includes professional snowboarding, experience as an Electrotechnical Engineer, and more than 23 years in fashion design and research at FILA, Zegna and Hugo Boss.

Ellen Bendt, Textile Engineering Professor, Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences

Ellen Bendt is a fashion designer specialized in knitwear, innovative product development, knitting techniques and product management with references from several international companies. She is a professor for Fashion Design/Knitwear & Innovative Product Design at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, faculty of Textile- and Clothing Technology, Mönchengladbach, Germany and for 25 years she has been lecturer/professor at Akademie Mode Design, Hamburg with courses in textile technology / knitwear, clothing technology and in fashion and design management.

Ellen´s main research field is the development and design of sustainable textiles and applications. Her current research focuses on the reduction of textile based microplastic emissions in the marine environment and sustainable design solutions for the textile industry 4.0.

Sabine Kühnl, Editor in Chief, Sportswear International

Sabine is a trained banker, after her two years at Sal. Oppenheim she decided to switch businesses and studied film at the University of Cologne. During those years she gained first experience in journalism by writing for daily newspapers and lifestyle magazines. Here, her fascination for fashion and the industry behind it became stronger and stronger.

In 2002 she reached her Master’s degree, the same year she started as editorial trainee for German B2B fashion magazine Textilwirtschaft in Frankfurt. Soon she moved on to become editor at sister publication SPORTSWEAR INTERNATIONAL. In 2006 she became executive editor and followed the call into SI’s head office in Milan. In 2009 the head office of SI was transferred to Frankfurt and gave her the opportunity to take over the position as Editor-in-Chief that she holds ever since.

Edward Crutchley, International Woolmark Prize menswear and innovation awards winner

A double International Woolmark Prize winner in 2019, Edward Crutchley launched his eponymous label in 2015, using an innate knowledge of artisanal textile techniques from around the world to create pieces that are a reflection of true contemporary luxury. His clothes are grounded in tradition with a true response to and rethinking of craftsmanship and materials. Edward will be judging the competition remotely.

Jörg Hartmann, Head of Fashion & Technology, Stoll

Jörg Hartmann is Head of Fashion & Technology for Stoll, a leader in the field of textile technology.
He designed well over 100 knitwear collections for Stoll, his own brand as well as for other companies such as Missoni.

Hartmann joined Stoll in 2002. Hartmann's team develops knit technology capable of producing a wide range of functionalities and aesthetic effects. He also teaches knitwear designed with his team was awarded the 2016 Outdoor Industry Award (Gold Medal) for Stoll.

Urs Weber, Editor, Runner’s World Germany

Urs Weber is editor for the German edition of RUNNER’S WORLD, the biggest publication and website for runners worldwide. As gear-editor he is a specialist for all questions that concern running-shoes, apparel, accessoires as well as membranes, yarns and fibres. Himself being a runner since his youth, he turned his hobby into his profession and is constantly looking for new running challenges and destinations.

Living in Hamburg, Germany, today, Urs Weber (age: 51) has a history of more than 30 years of marathon-running, gear-testing and worldwide traveling. He ran on the ice at the polar circle as well as in the heat of the South Pacific, crossed the alps in running shoes, covered the Ironman distance as a triathlete and is constantly looking for new challenges.