The LVMH Prize has previously been awarded to some of fashion's most exciting new talents including Marques’Almeida, Grace Wales Bonner and instigator of the teeny, tiny bag trend, Simon Porte Jacquemus. The annual announcement of the finalists in the running for the esteemed prize presents a great opportunity to familiarise yourself with the next big things in fashion. In 2020, however, there will not be one winner as usual. Instead, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the final judging on June 5 has been cancelled and LVMH has announced that all eight finalists will share the €300,000 prize money.
The award will be shared between Ahluwalia, Casablanca, Chopova Lowena, Nicholas Daley, Peter Do, Sindiso Khumalo, Supriya Lele, and Tomo Koizumi, all of whom were chosen from 20 semi-finalists. When the finalists were revealed in early March, Delphine Arnault, Executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton and the founder of the LVMH Prize said in a statement: 'This year, once more, the semi-finalists impressed us with their creativity and their commitment to creating clothes that are respectful of the environment. The eight finalists all have in common to be very talented in their respective fields and to aspire to enhance know-how.'
In further news, LVMH has announced that it is establishing a new fund using the 2020 Karl Lagerfeld Prize allocation to benefit previous winners of the Prize for Young Fashion Designers and the Karl Lagerfeld Prize. This is a direct response to the severe (and ongoing) economic threat presented by the Covid-19 crisis, which will particularly impact nascent designers and brands.
Of the new fund, to which those previous winners can apply, Arnault said: 'Since its launch, the LVMH Prize has promoted and nurtured young talent. Each year, it places the spotlight on young designers from all over the world and supports the development of their companies. In this challenging context, this fund in aid of young fashion designers highlights the main mission of the LVMH Prize by supporting our former winners.'
Who are the LVMH Prize winners for 2020?
Ahluwalia by Priya Ahluwalia: A British, London-based menswear designer
Tomo Koizumi by Tomotoka Koizumi: A Japanese womenswear designer based in Tokyo)
Sindiso Khumalo by Sindiso Khumalo: A South African womenswear designer based in Cape Town
Nicholas Daley by Nicholas Daley: A British menswear designer based in London
Casablanca by Charaf Tajer: A French, London-based menswear designer
Supriya Lele by Supriya Lele: A British-Indian womenswear designer based in London
Peter Do by Peter Do: New York-based, American womenswear designer
Chopova Lowena by Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena: The womenswear duo are based in London. Chopova is Bulgarian-American and Lowena is British.
There are five womenswear designers and three of menswear among the finalists. Interestingly, the majority are all London-based labels, while one is based in New York, one in Cape Town and one in Tokyo.
It's brilliant to see that fashion's rising stars are such a diverse group of exciting young talent, all of whom will be judged by a panel consisting of Rihanna, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Kris Van Assche, Virgil Abloh, Clare Waight Keller, Jean-Paul Claverie, Sidney Toledano and Delphine Arnault.
The winner will be announced on June 5.