Here Are This Year's LVMH Prize Finalists
When it comes to accolades in fashion, for emerging designers the LVMH Prize is one of the most esteemed. Not only will the winner receive mass acclaim and a prize of 300,000 euros they’ll also receive a year-long mentorship from the LVMH team in helping them expand their brands. Whittled down from 2,400 contenders, 22 semi-finalists presented their collections to the LVMH jury in Paris at the tail-end of Paris Fashion Week. Of the creative cohort, 9 are still up for the prize.
‘The semi-final of the tenth edition of the Prize has highlighted a great maturity in the approach and work of the designers. Cultural diversity, a celebration of traditional crafts and creative audacity define this selection. Naturally, the finalists are fully engaged in dealing with environmental issues and play with the boundaries between menswear and womenswear. Their expertise, their creativity, their uniqueness and their commitment have truly impressed me,' says executive vice president of Louis Vuitton and CEO of Dior Delphine Arnault.
The semi-finalists include a number of SHOWstudio contributors including Better’s Julie Pelipas and menswear designer Aaron Esh who have previously lent their expertise to our live panel discussions. Esh is joined by fellow Central Saint Martins classmate Paolina Russo, whose distinct take on sportswear has led to sell-out collaborations with Adidas. Other front-runners include Luca Magliano and Raul Lopez, whose subversive eponymous labels have captivated the industry with deeply personal narratives woven into their collections. 'We want to represent this Italy that is often untold, but exists,' Magliano told SHOWstudio editor Hetty Mahlich after his A/W 23 show last month.
Rounding off the list of semi-finalists are Burc Akyol, Rachel Scott of Diotima, Veronica Leoni of Quira, and Satoshi Kuwata of Setchu. On 7 June, the short-listed designers will present their collections one last time to the LVMH Jury at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. There, a panel of experts including Jonathan Anderson, Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Nigo, Delphine Arnault and more, who will decide on one designer to take home the prize. With 9 immense talents to choose from its anyone's guess who will succeed last year's winner Steven Stokey-Daley of S.S. Daley.