Mango finally revealed this Wednesday the winner of the fourth edition of its prize for young designers. This year the winner of the competition, who takes away a prize of 300,000 euros, is from Thailand and a graduate of the Institut Français de la Mode. At 30 years old, Wisharawish Akarasantisook has already made a name for himself by winning several other similar competitions: in 2008, he won the New Designer prize awarded by Japanese group Onward (Jil Sander, Joseph) and the same year also reached the final of the Hyères fashion and photography festival under the pseudonym Titipon Chitsantisook.

Wisharawish Akarasantisook with his winning designs exhibited in Barcelona by Mango

The jury, which was headed up by the brand’s president Isak Andic and also included Kate Moss, Mango’s current face, and Lena Lumelski, a previous winner of the competition, chose a collection that drew its inspiration from existentialism. “After the death of my father I returned to Thailand and took inspiration from the Buddhist temples where I was able to analyse the relationship between life and death with nature. The collection is full of detail and handmade pieces”, explained the winner Akarasantisook, who was picked from ten finalists.

Video presenting Wisharawish Akarasantisook’s collection for the Mango Fashion Awards 2012: