Eight up-and-coming fashion designers have been selected for the final round of the LVMH young designers prize, representing European countries and the United States.
The eight winning brands presented a blend of menswear, womenswear and gender-fluid collections to a jury of design experts and the public last week.
CEO of Dior and Executive Vice President of LVMH Delphine Arnault said the contestants brought diversity, craftsmanship and sustainability to the table.
“The semi-finalists showed great expertise in terms of craftsmanship and a strong commitment to sustainability,” Arnault said in a statement. “The finalists’ designs range from entirely hand-made collections to eveningwear, and included upcycled designs.”
LVMH said they received a total of 2,500 applications for this year’s top prize, which comes with a €400,000 endowment and a tailored mentorship by LVMH teams. The finalists are also in the running for the Karl Lagerfeld Prize and the Savoir-Faire Prize, which both come with a €200,000 cheque and yearlong mentorship.
This is the first year LVMH has added the Savoir-Faire Prize to the competition, a distinction that rewards excellence in craftsmanship, technical innovation and the sustainable approach of the brands.
Who are the eight finalists for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers?
AUBERO by Julian Louie, United States, menswear
New York City-based designer Julian Louie’s menswear line Aubero blends vintage materials with modern shapes and haute-couture techniques. According to Louie, it’s “intimate, immediate, human.” It brings together the designer’s past and present from California to New York.
DURAN LANTINK by Duran Lantink, Netherlands, womenswear, menswear and genderless collections
Amsterdam-based designer Duran Lantink brings a surreal touch to outerwear in his collection, which flows across gender and flouts convention. His so-called “bubble” ensembles have become a fashion-world favourite, playing with form and function to redefine style.
HODAKOVA by Ellen Hodakova Larsson, Sweden, womenswear
Ellen Hodakova Larsson’s fashion brand, Hodakova, deconstructs existing garments and gives them new life. But it’s much more radical than just turning a dress into a skirt – Hodakova pushes the limits of imagination, turning bras into a dress, or fishnet tights into a top, or boots and pants into a dress (see above).
MARIE ADAM-LEENAERDT by Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, Belgium, womenswear
Belgian designer Marie Adam-Leenaerdt worked for top fashion houses Balenciaga and Givenchy before creating her eponymous fashion line in 2023. Her creative designs reimagine womenswear with surprising and playful looks. “It's important for me to give garments a certain status and to provide that strength because for me, surprise is always important. I think that's what we lose a bit in fashion today,” she said.
NICCOLÒ PASQUALETTI by Niccolò Pasqualetti, Italy, genderless collections
The Italian designer Niccolò Pasqualetti breaks with convention with a gender-fluid line that creatively repurposes upcycled fabrics and garments to create a new sartorial language. It’s their second time being shortlisted for the LVMH Young Designers’ prize. They told Cultured Mag: “I like to define the brand as genderless, but it's quite subtle. It's really about giving people the freedom to decide what they want to look like without having a label.”
PAOLO CARZANA by Paolo Carzana, United Kingdom, womenswear and menswear
Paolo Carzana's latest collection is called "Melanchronic Mountain", what he calls "my most personal and most emotional work since starting". "Everyone is feeling a lot in this moment, the way the world is," he told Vogue. "It's this feeling I have that it's so hard to try and be positive, but we can. " The collection includes fabrics made from aloe vera fibre, rose petal fibre and eucalyptus fibre.
PAULINE DUJANCOURT by Pauline Dujancourt, France, womenswear
Romantic shapes and soft knits are the foundational elements that make up French designer Pauline Dujancourt's feminine universe. The London-based brand is described as made by women for women, with a focus on "the appreciation and continuation of female craftsmanship and a sensual approach to modern knitwear."
STANDING GROUND by Michael Stewart, Ireland, womenswear
Irish designer Michael Stewart's latest collection features statuesque gowns that pay homage to timeless elegance. The regal looks have been worn by stars including actress Florence Pugh, who donned a Standing Ground ivory floor-length gown on the red carpet at the Mexico City premiere of Dune: Part 2.
This year’s jury includes Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Stella McCartney, Nigo, Phoebe Philo, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Pharrell Williams, as well as Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie and Sidney Toledano.
The shortlisted designers will present their collections to the Prize Jury at the final on 10 September at the Louis Vuitton Foundation.
