Major award goes to menswear label From Britten The duo behind the From Britten label, Tim and Alex (with glasses) Britten-Finschi with a model. From Britten collection shown during Fashion Week last September. Picture: Darren McNamara WITH the desire for the latest handbag, heels or skirt driving sales, menswear is usually a fashion afterthought but Australias premier designer award shifted the spotlight for a moment yesterday. Tim and Alex Britten-Finschi received the Tiffany & Co National Designer of the Year award yesterday as part of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival for their menswear label From Britten. "There is a resurgence in menswear and it's great that these boys have won," said LMFF chief executive Graeme Lewsey. I think it's about time us boys had some good brands. They demonstrated a solid growth capacity and that's important. As the sons of beloved Melbourne bridal designer Linda Britten, Tim, 24, and Alex, 26, understand the challenges of their chosen niche. "Being a menswear label you feel honoured to just be a finalist but you never expect to win," said Tim. It's a lot slower moving pace than womenswear and it comes form a different angle. From the exterior the classic shapes of From Britten's cashmere coats play it safe but the innovation happens beneath the surface. A lot of our design ethos is based on classic pieces that are familiar but there are touches to make it modern, such as phone-sized pockets and hi-tech lining that wicks away sweat. Tim and Alex receive a cash prize of $10,000 from ANZ Private and editorial support from Harper's Bazaar. Their ends a local design drought with Sydney designers Dion Lee, Romance Was Born, Song For The Mute and Christopher Esber having won the award in recent years. This year Sydney's Michael Lo Sordo was the only designer not from Victoria. "It's really gratifying because these boys also work closely with Melbourne tailors but they won because they can take this award and go on and do great things here and in Paris," Lewsey says. For the runners up visiting British designer Mary Katarantzou, who opened the festival's runway program with a breathtaking display of digital prints on Tuesday night at the David Jones show supported by Vogue Australia, had words of consolation. "It took me forever to win a prize," Katarantzou says. When I finally did win one it was great to take it back and share it with my team but by then I was already on my way. I think any support that you can get is terrific.