Countless talent competitions for young creative people take place every year, but who was able to bring home the coveted prizes – from prestigious awards from luxury goods companies to talent programs from online trading companies to prizes for students? Since the beginning of the year, fashion competitions have unearthed a wealth of previously unknown creative talent. FashionUnited has summarized the winners again.
International fashion awards
Andam Prize
Louis Gabriel Nouchi, founder of the menswear brand of the same name, is the winner of the Andam Prize 2023. The winner received prize money of 300,000 euros. The jury’s special prize went to Amsterdam-based designer Duran Lantink and the French duo Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, who are behind the Ester Manas brand. Ruslan Baginskily was awarded the Fashion Accessories Prize, while the Andam Pierre Bergé Prize went to French designer Arthur Avellano. Both received 100,000 euros each, so that the total financial support amounts to 700,000 euros – an absolute first in the history of the competition.
The award winners also have the opportunity to “receive a comprehensive, multidisciplinary mentoring program that covers all strategic areas needed to structure and develop their company”.
Established in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour, the Andam Prize nurtures the next generation of creative talent. These have included brands such as Marine Serre (2020), Y/project (2017) and Botter (2022) in the past.
British Fashion Council/ GQ Designer Fashion Fund
The 2023 British Fashion Council and GQ Magazine Young Talent Award (BFC/GQ Award) was awarded to British-Jamaican designer Grace Wales Bonner, who is behind the label of the same name. In addition to the £100,000 prize money, she also received a year of bespoke mentoring and free legal advice from Sheridans law firm.
The British Fashion Council/GQ Designer Fashion Fund, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, supports British designers in developing their brands through “high-level mentoring and bespoke professional services”.
BFC NewGen
Since its inception in 1993, the BFC NewGen competition has supported emerging international designers by offering individual support, financial grants and a mentoring program. Previous winners include well-known names in contemporary fashion such as Jonathan Anderson, Kim Jones, Richard Quinn and Alexander McQueen.
This year the coveted award went to Aaron ESh, Ancuța Sarca, Chet Lo, Conner Ives, Derrick, Di Petsa, Eftychia, Feben, Harri, Helen Kirkum, Kazna Asker, Labrum London, Leo Carlton, Masha Popova, Paolo Carzana, Robyn Lynch, SS Daley, Saul Nash, Sinéad O’Dwyer, The Winter House, Tolu Coker and Yuhan Wang.
LVMH Prize
Japanese designer Satoshi Kuwata, founder of the Setchu label, has been awarded the 2023 LVMH Prize. He received prize money of 300,000 euros and a one-year mentoring program from the teams at luxury goods group LVMH. Ukrainian designer Julie Pelipas and her brand Bettter and designer Luca Magliano are the winners of the 2023 Karl Lagerfeld Prize. Both received EUR 150,000 and also a one-year mentorship.
On its website, LVMH explains that the competition, created in 2013, helps “encourage the emergence of new talent essential to the vitality and diversity of the fashion ecosystem”.
International Woolmark Prize 2023
The International Woolmark Prize 2023 went to Lagos Space Programme, a project by Adeju Thompson from Nigeria. The project received funding of 200,000 US dollars (around 182,000 euros). The Karl Lagerfeld Prize went to Danish brand A. Roege Hove, which received $100,000. Dutch company Byborre won the supply chain award.
Prize winners have the opportunity to expand their international presence through the Woolmark Prize retail network. They also receive support in developing the concept and marketing their brands.
Student competitions
AMI x IFM Award for Entrepreneurship
The AMI x IFM Entrepreneurship Award, which was presented for the first time in June 2022, supports entrepreneurial projects by students. In its second year, the award went to French-Argentinian fashion brand Cachí. Its founders Elise Girault and Belén Frias, an entrepreneur from the IFM incubator, worked closely with Emmanuelle Segalowitch, an Executive MBA student at IFM. They will be looked after for a year by several jury members, including Mademoiselle Agnès and Alexandre Mattiussi, founders and designers behind the fashion label Ami.
“Ami is committed to the future generations of fashion designers with an educational initiative that aims to promote and develop entrepreneurship in this sector,” says the IFM website. “The aim of the award is to create a space where students’ talents and skills can come into contact with the expertise of professionals, to encourage them to propose and develop their own professional project.”
Vanguard Education Fund
Net-a-Porter’s Vanguard Education Fund mentoring program, run in partnership with the British Fashion Council, was awarded to Christopher Edward De La Cruz, Izzy McKinlay, Tj Finley and Tahar Al-Shekhly. All five are students at London College Central Saint Martins.
In addition to a scholarship of 12,500 pounds (almost 14,600 euros) and comprehensive funding, the final year students are trained in 3D design.
E-fashion awards
The E-Fashion Awards competition, organized by the network of leading fashion schools and in particular by Mod’Art, has been presenting the innovative projects of young fashion designers and students for over a decade.
“Whereas the ‘E’ used to express the importance of digital technology in fashion, today it also reflects […] reflects ethical concerns and a commitment to environmental responsibility,” according to the competition website.
This year, Sixtine Martinez, student at Mod’Art, was the lucky winner in the “Hope for responsible fashion” category, while Solange Hebert Mekontchou won the “Revelation for responsible fashion” prize with her Collection Versatile brand.
Brand Contests
Loro Piana Knit Design Award
Sumin An and Blake Dewitt from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York have won the 2023 edition of the Loro Piana Knit Design Award, established in 2016 by the luxury company Loro Piana. The winners were offered a scholarship and an employment contract with the luxury house.
“Loro Piana is proud of this initiative, which aims to preserve and improve its know-how while passing on the passion for excellence to younger generations and facilitating their entry into the job market,” says the LVMH Group brand in a message.
Shein x Challenge
First place in the Shein x Challenge competition, organized as part of the brand’s incubation program, went to designer Amy Sala, who took home €10,000.
The winner presented her pieces at the Shein fashion show in Paris on June 8th. Your collection will be sold in the company’s online shop at reduced prices. She also receives expert mentoring to advance her career.
innovation competitions
LVMH Innovation Award
The main prize of the LVMH Innovation Award 2023 went to the company Save Your Wardrobe, which also received an award in the “Omnichannel & Retail” category. The London-based start-up brings together salespeople with tailors, shoemakers and restorers to repair clothes, shoes, jewelry or bags.
“Save Your Wardrobe is a perfect example of our commitment to the creative circular economy, one of the pillars of our Life 360 environmental roadmap,” said Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, in a statement. “I am convinced that their solution will very quickly meet the needs of our hospitals and the expectations of our customers.”
The LVMH Innovation Award was created in 2017 by LVMH in collaboration with the Publicis Group and the media company Les Echos to reward French and international start-ups that develop innovative offers and services.
Andam Innovation Prize
The 2023 Andam Innovation Award went to Squim, an Italian company specializing in bioengineered materials. It received prize money of 100,000 euros. This prize was awarded for the first time.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr