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Nicola Mira
Published
Feb 17, 2023
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LVMH Prize 2023 announces names of 22 semi-finalists

Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Feb 17, 2023

The LVMH Prize is celebrating its 10th anniversary, once more confirming its importance in the fashion landscape. The emerging fashion designer competition was launched in 2014 by the world’s number one luxury group and, for its 2023 edition, it received over 2,400 entries from around the world, compared to 1,900 last year, and has selected 22 semi-finalist labels (two more than in previous editions) hailing from 15 countries.


The designers of the 22 semi-finalist labels - Prix LVMH


For the first time, the LVMH Prize’s long-list features a Brazilian designer, London-based Joao Maraschin, as well as a Jamaican designer, Rachel Scott, with her Diotima label. New York-based Scott will be showing her collection at Milan Fashion Week, before joining the other young talents who have been picked for the semi-final in Paris. Their creations will be presented on March 2 and 3 at a physical showroom, and from March 1 to 5 in digital format on the LVMH Prize website, where the public will be given the opportunity, for the third consecutive year, to vote for their favourite candidate. This vote will count for one, and will be added to the votes of some one hundred industry experts.

Several names that have already caught the eye in the world’s fashion capitals feature among the semi-finalists. Like Dominican-American designer Raul Lopez, a rising star on the New York fashion scene with his label Luar and the it-bag Ana, adored by celebrities. Lopez is by no means a rookie: in the 2000s, he co-founded one of the first luxury streetwear labels, Hood by Air. New York-based label Karu Research, founded in 2021 by Indian designer Kartik Kumra, is also quite successful. British designer Charlie Constantinou won the 2022 edition of the prestigious ITS emerging designer competition held in Trieste, Italy. Japanese designer Wataru Tominaga won the Hyères Festival in 2016, while Paolina Russo is a finalist of the 2023 Woolmark Prize. The Canadian designer launched her eponymous label in 2020, and was joined in 2022 by French stylist Lucile Guilmard.

Giseok Cho, from South Korea, first made a name for himself as an artist-photographer before launching his Kusikohc label. Italian Luca Magliano has been showing in Milan since 2019. His compatriot Veronica Leoni, with her label Quira, has also made a name for herself in recent years in Milan and New York. The Marrknull label by Chinese duo Wei Wang and Tian Shi regularly shows in London. Namesake, a Taipei-based label launched by three Taiwanese brothers, Michael, Richard and Steve Hsieh, caught the eye with a few presentations in Paris, as did Korean designer Juntae Kim.

Two French designers have been selected for this edition’s semi-final: Turkey-born Burc Akyol, a former atelier designer at Dior, Balenciaga and Ungaro, and Anne Isabella, born in Denmark and based in Berlin. The semi-final line-up also includes Aaron Esh (UK), Johanna Parv (from Estonia, based in London), Louis Shengtao Chen (China), Bettter by Julie Pelipas (Ukraine), Bloke by Faith Oluwajimi (Nigeria), Setchu by Satoshi Kuwata (Japan), and Stinarand by Stina Randestad (Sweden).

Winner will pocket €300,000



Only eight among the long-list of labels will be selected for the final. Their names will be revealed in March, and the 2023 LVMH Prize will be formally awarded a few months later. The LVMH Prize winner will receive a €300,000 cash prize, and the winner of the special Karl Lagerfeld prize will receive €150,000. In both cases, the winners will benefit from a one-year mentoring by the luxury group’s staff. LVMH will also distinguish, as usual, three recent fashion academy graduates. Applications are open for them until March 19, 2023.

“The 22 semi-finalists are all driven by a very innovative vision and also show great creative maturity in their work. Many of them place the culture and craftsmanship of their native country at the heart of their design approach. Eco-responsibility is also a major value for them, as they use innovative or recycled materials and embrace a more localised and ethical production system. The fluidity between menswear and womenswear is another key feature this year, since no fewer than nine designers have created genderless collections,” said Delphine Arnault, the originator of the LVMH Prize, who is expecting “an exceptional 2023 edition.”

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