LVMH Prize 2020 open to applications

The LVMH Prize is officially open to applications. Emerging designers keen to follow in the footsteps of South African Thebe Magugu and Israeli Hed Mayner, the 2019 winners, by taking part in the young designer competition first held by the French luxury group in 2013, can begin to submit their applications on Monday December 2. The application deadline is February 2 2020.

“The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers is open to all designers under 40 who have produced at least two womenswear, menswear or unisex collections. Applications must be submitted exclusively via www.lvmhprize.com,” stated the group in a press release. The competition’s semi-finals will take place on Thursday February 27 and Friday February 28 2020, during the Paris Fashion Week.

The LVMH Prize was created six years ago and, through its main prize and the special jury prize, renamed the Karl Lagerfeld Prize last year, it has spotlighted the work of 13 designers, some of whom now show at the most prestigious fashion weeks, including Paris and London, and whose labels are going from strength to strength. Among them, Marine Serre (winner in 2017), Jacquemus (special prize winner in 2015), Rokh (special prize winner in 2018), Grace Wales Bonner (winner in 2016), Marques'Almeida (winner in 2015), Hed Mayner (Karl Lagerfeld Prize winner in 2019) and Vejas (special prize winner in 2016).

These designers’ careers have certainly benefited from the boost provided by the LVMH Prize. In addition to a cash prize of €300,000 for the main winner, and one of €150,000 for the Karl Lagerfeld Prize winner, the competition also awards a one-year mentorship.

The mentorship enables the lucky winners to be followed closely by “a dedicated team of LVMH professionals, experienced in a series of fields such as intellectual property rights, sourcing, production, distribution, branding, communication, marketing, sustainable development and more.” For example, the 2019 winner, Thebe Magugu, is being mentored by Patou this year.

For the competition’s seventh edition, LVMH will, as usual, also award a prize to three fashion school graduates. Newly graduated students will be able to enter the competition if they have completed a full course of study in the academic year 2019-20. The three winners will have the opportunity of joining the creative team of one of LVMH’s labels for a year, and a €10,000 scholarship will be awarded to them and their schools.

LVMH Prize 2020 open to applications

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