Valentin Lessner Wins The 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize

Continuing its long tradition of bridging the world of innovative automotives and high fashion, Mercedes-Benz just announced the latest recipient of its Sustainability Prize. Valentin Lessner received the award at the 37th annual Festival d'Hyères in the South of France. They were selected by a jury of global creative forces including the creative director of Y/Project and Diesel Glenn Martens, Christa Bösch & Cosima Gadient Fashion designer Ottolinger, as well as former Grand Prix of Jury Première Vision Ifeanyi Okwuadi.

Celebrating fashion, photography, and accessories, the festival was founded by Jean-Pierre Blanc and chaired by Pascale Mussard in 1986. As one of the oldest fashion competitions aimed at young professionals, the festival has been championing emerging talents for years. Always looking to the future the Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize was introduced in 2021 and awards designers for their work in fostering a more environmentally conscious future through design.

‘My first attempts to fashion actually started with scrap material and deadstock I found in flea markets or in former textile companies’, explained Lessner. The German designer will receive a 20,000 Euro grant, as well as mentoring and space at the Mercedes-Benz Shortlisted Showroom to present their collection to guests at the festival. Along with the other finalists, Lessner’s designers were captured in an editorial shot by Jenny Brough. The campaign stars activists and models Kai Isaiah Jamal and Nassia Matsa.

In a joint statement by the Festival d'Hyères Fashion Jury, they state ‘the vote was unanimous for the Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize as Valentin Lessner was able to translate sustainability with a contemporary, ready-to-wear approach’.