The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers is having a makeover, but a very tasteful one. It was announced today that the organisation’s award for young designers, previously known as the Special Prize, will now be known as the Karl Lagerfeld Prize in honour of the late designer.
The visionary designer has been heavily involved with the LVMH Prize since its inception back in 2014, until he passed away in February this year. “He was fully committed to it since day one,” LVMH Executive VP Delphine Arnault said today. “The Karl Lagerfeld Prize naturally perpetuates the closeness we developed over the years and is a tribute to the man’s unique creative genius.”
Appropriately then, the Karl Lagerfeld Prize will be the highest distinction awarded by the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, with the winner chosen from a jury-selected group of finalists. Along with the prize of €150,000, the winner will receive a one-year mentorship programme within LVMH, comprising of everything from intellectual property to production and distribution, image and communication and marketing for their label.
Since launching in 2014 the Prize has exploded in popularity, championing young talent all across the world. This year, from a group of 1,700 applicants across 100 countries, the eight finalists have already been selected. They are — drumroll please — Arealage by Kunihiko Morinaga, Bethany Williams, Bode by Emily Adams Bode, Hed Mayner, Kenneth Ize by Kenneth Izedonmwen, Phipps by Spencer Phipps, Stefan Cooke by Stefan Cooke, Jake Burt and Thebe Magugu.
Of the eight, the winner will be announced at the sixth edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers on September 4 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Good luck to the new generation!