LVMH Opens Applications for LVMH Prize

ON YOUR MARKS: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has opened applications for the 13th edition of its Prize for Young Designers.

Fashion designers from all around the world have until Jan. 11 to submit their applications at lvmhprize.com, the French luxury conglomerate said on Monday. The prize is open to designers aged from 18 to 40 years old who have created at least two collections of women’s, men’s or unisex ready-to-wear.

The semifinalists of the prize will gather for a showroom event on March 4 and 5 during Paris Fashion Week. Their work will be shown digitally, with the public invited to weigh in on the competing collections from March 5.

The winner, decided by a jury including LVMH’s top designers, will be awarded a cash prize of 400,000 euros plus a year of coaching from experts at LVMH on topics ranging from financial management and sustainability, to copyright and corporate legal aspects.

The winner of the runner-up Karl Lagerfeld Prize and Savoir-Faire Prize will each walk away with 200,000 euros and will also benefit from a year of professional advice.

Launched in 2013 and spearheaded by Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture and a key talent scout at the luxury group her family controls, the prize has helped propel the careers of such talents as Marine Serre, Nensi Dojaka, Thebe Magugu, Simon Porte Jacquemus and Grace Wales Bonner.

Last year’s winner was Japanese designer Soshi Otsuki, who has gained cult status for his oversize suits inspired by ‘80s-era Giorgio Armani.

LVMH will also continue to support fashion school graduates, who have until April 5 to apply. The three who end up on the shortlist will be invited to join one of the group’s houses for a year.