Donatella Versace's fashion advice

Donatella Versace says to succeed as a fashion designer you need to have ''passion and personal vision''.

The blonde fashionista - who took over the Versace fashion house after brother Gianni was shot dead in 1997 - is judging the International Woolmark Prize next week and she knows exactly what she is looking for.

She added vogue.co.uk: ''That's what makes a great designer. It's something that my brother Gianni understood absolutely, and the most important thing I learnt from him. You have to believe in what you are doing and you have to have your own style.''

Donatella will be joined on the panel by Victoria Beckham, Tim Blanks, Diane von Furstenberg to judge the coveted award - which was previously won by a young Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent - and Donatella can't wait to get to work.

She said: ''The judging panel is made up of people who really know their stuff, and who have a wealth of experience in different fields - design itself, but also fashion retail and journalism. It's an impressive group and I feel that we will all bring our own different perspectives to bear on the judging, which I think is important for the integrity of the competition. It also means that the young designers will get the benefit of many different informed points of view.''

Six designers will present collections, made using Merino wool, via a catwalk show at an intimate event staged next Saturday (16.02.13).

The winner will take home £65,000 and will see his or her collection stocked in leading worldwide stores.