For young designers today, the path to building a brand is often rocky, and finding sufficient funds to establish a viable business is one of the main hurdles faced. It’s why the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, first established in 2014, has become such a coveted lifeline for emerging talent. Offering a cash injection of €300,000 for the titular prize, the award also grants winners a further €150,000 through the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, dedicated in memory of the late creative director of Fendi and Chanel. Both winners also receive a year of mentorship from a specially-tailored team of LVMH experts.
As you’d expect, the prize has proven popular since the word go, and helped to launch the careers of some of the most exciting talents in the industry today. Recipients over the seven years of its running include Marques Almeida, Wales Bonner, and last year’s winners Thebe Magugu and Hed Mayner. Charles Jeffrey, Stefan Cooke and Virgil Abloh have also made the final round in previous editions.
With such a wealth of talent competing each year, deciding on the deserving recipients of the two awards is far from an easy task. Fortunately, it’s in more than capable hands, with some of the most prolific editors, journalists, educators and business leaders in the industry making up the jury. Among those joining the returning panel, which includes Sarah Mower, Amanda Harlech and Ezra Petronio, are activist Sinéad Burke, model Gigi Hadid, and i-D’s Ibrahim Kamara.
Who’ll be competing for the 2020 edition of one of fashion’s most hotly contested competitions remains to be seen, but, with the semi-final set to be held in Paris on February 27 and 28, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement any day now.