by Isabella Azzoni
LVMH, the parent company of luxury fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, has announced the opening of applications for their annual Prize for Young Fashion Designers.
This prize helps up and coming designers, from all over the world between the ages of 18 to 40, to gain entry into the fashion world, a notoriously competitive industry.
Having a company like LVMH behind you could mean the start of a very successful brand, and has done for many winners in previous years.
In 2020, finalists for the LVMH prize included Peter Do, who had an extremely successful season at New York Fashion Week as the creative director of Helmut Lang this year. He was also the winner of the 2014 LVMH Prize for Young Graduates, making him a veteran in this field.
KidSuper’s founder, Colm Dillane, was the 2021 winner of the Karl Lagerfeld Prize. Dillane went on to collaborate with LVMH and take on the role of creative director for their January 2023 menswear fashion show.
Since Marine Serre’s 2017 win, she has now gone on to style many high-profile events including Beyoncè’s Renaissance World Tour, as well as dressing other celebrities from Kylie Jenner to A$AP Rocky. Her own eponymous line has also gained both critical and commercial acclaim, being stocked internationally in retailers such as Nordstrom and Dover Street Market.
Perhaps the most well known winner is someone who has received a lot of acclaim during the previous fashion weeks, and is none other than Simon Porte Jacquemus. The 2015 Special Prize winner now hosts one of the most anticipated shows in every fashion month, and in 2022 collaborated with Nike in the creation of a capsule collection dedicated to women’s athletic wear.
This year, in addition to the current LVMH and Karl Lagerfeld prizes, the company has introduced a Savoir-Faire prize dedicated to celebrating “excellence in craftsmanship, innovation in design and production, and a more sustainable approach to fashion” according to the CEO of Dior, Delphine Arnault.
Both the Karl Lagerfeld and Savoir-Faire prizes will be given to finalists of this year, with the LVMH prize being given to only the winner.
The winner of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers will win 400,000 Euros to fund their future collections, as well as receiving a tailored mentorship by an LVMH team who will support the winner in various fields, such as communication, copyright, corporate legal aspects, marketing and the financial management of a brand.
The winners of the Karl Lagerfeld and Savoir-Faire prizes will each receive 200,000 Euros to fund their brand, and a one-year mentorship from the LVMH team.
Applications for this year’s prize opened on the 8th November 2023, and close on Sunday 7th January 2024. Submit via the Prize website, www.lvmhprize.com.
The semi-final is due to be held on both February 29th and March 1st 2024, being accessible to watch by all on the Prize website and on their social media. Both experts and the general public will be able to judge to select the finalists.
To be eligible, designers must have created a minimum of two ready-to-wear collections,meaning custom-made or couture pieces aren’t included.
Additionally, applications for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Graduates are also open from now until March 17th 2024.
This prize differs as it is strictly for fashion school students. But again, provides access to mentorship from LVMH meaning young designers can make connections they need to make their brand successful in the fashion world.