Parisian label Y/Project wins the 2017 ANDAM prize

Parisian brand Y/Project has won the top honour at the 2017 ANDAM Awards, claiming a grand prize of €280,000.

The brand's creative director Glenn Martens, who grew up in the Belgian city of Bruges and attended Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts, accepted the award and prize money, and is also to be granted €10,000 worth of Swarovski crystals to use within the next year in his collections.

Additionally, Martens will also benefit from a one-year mentorship by Francesca Bellettini, president and chief executive officer of Yves Saint Laurent, covering both the creative and strategic dimensions of his business.

The other contenders for the honor, now in its 28th edition, were Aalto, Koché, Martine Rose, with Martens selected as the victor by a 25-member jury composed of fashion executives, editors, actresses and models selected the victors, with Chapman, Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou, and Pascal Morand, executive president of La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

This year's Creative Label prize - worth $112,000 - went to Avoc, with the Accessories Design Prize, which comes with a grant of $56,000, awarded to Brazilian jewelry designer Ana Khouri, and the event's new Innovation Award, worth $33,000, bestowed upon smart mannequins specialist Euveka.

Founded in 1989, ANDAM-the National Association for the Development of the Fashion Arts-was the first fashion prize in France, and is today one of international fashion's most respected prizes.