Christian Wijnants is an Antwerp-based fashion designer. Born in Brussels, Christian moved to Antwerp in 1996 to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Art. His graduate collection won the Dries Van Noten Award for best collection in 2000. After graduation,Christian presented his collection at the prestigious Festival d'Hyères, where it was awarded the Grand Prix and picked up by stores including Colette (Paris), Pineal Eye (London), and Via Bus Stop (Tokyo). After working with Van Noten in Antwerp and Angelo Tarlazzi in Paris, Christian launched his eponymous label in 2003. Christian Wijnants presents his collections in Paris during Paris Fashion Week and is sold at 100 boutiques and department stores worldwide including Barneys, Harvey Nichols, Maria Luisa, Super A Market and Graanmarkt 13. Rich, layered graphics and fresh colors translated into eloquent knitwear offer a play of authenticity and luxury that has won him the 2013 International Woolmark Prize, the 2006 ANDAM Award, and the 2005 Swiss Textiles Award. His work is in the permanent collection at ModeMuseum Antwerp and has been featured in major publications including editorial by Cathy Horyn and Vogue Italia's Franca Sozzani. Christian Wijnants is sponsored by Swarovski for Spring-Summer 2015 and Autumn-Winter 2015 and has been nominated for the Swarovski Collective Prize for Innovation.