New LVMH Prize supports young design talents

Because both our roots and our future lie in creativity, LVMH brands have always actively nourished creative talent. Guided by this vision, we have launched the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize. Open to designers under 40 years old who have created at least two womenswear or menswear collections, the LVMH Prize is a groundbreaking award in terms of its concept, content and international scope.

Applications will be accepted beginning today and until February 2, 2014 exclusively through the official LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize website at www.lvmhprize.com. The website has been envisioned as a collaborative platform centered on fashion creation, offering a unique panorama of contemporary design talent. In March 2014 the ten finalists presented to the jury will be selected from this cosmopolitan pool by an international panel of fashion experts, including journalists, stylists and buyers.

Each year a distinguished jury of eight creative directors from LVMH Fashion Houses will recognize the most talented and promising young designer. The jury for this first edition is composed of Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), Karl Lagerfeld (Fendi), Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (Kenzo), Phoebe Philo (Céline), Raf Simons (Dior) and Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy). They will be joined in their distinctive and complementary assessments of future-facing fashion design by Delphine Arnault (member of the board of LVMH and Executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton), Jean-Paul Claverie (advisor to Bernard Arnault and head of corporate philanthropy for LVMH) and Pierre-Yves Roussel (Chairman and CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group), giving the LVMH Prize a truly exceptional panel of judges.

The young fashion designer whose work and vision wins the hearts and minds of the jury will receive a grant of 300,000 euros as well as personalized assistance from LVMH teams for a period of twelve months from the prize award. This support will span a variety of areas such as intellectual property, marketing, production and distribution. The winner of the first LVMH Prize will be announced at the end of May 2014. The LVMH Prize will also recognize three young graduates of fashion design schools, who will have a chance to join the design team at an LVMH brand for one year.

“The LVMH Prize has been created to support the community of young fashion designers,” said Delphine Arnault, a member of the jury. “This initiative celebrates the values of our Group. Our own remarkably talented designers will celebrate the talents of tomorrow and we will bring them the resources they need to grow while respecting their entrepreneurial independence. Our goal is to nourish the vitality and creativity of the fashion ecosystem on an international scale.”

With the launch of the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, the Group once again confirms its longstanding commitment to continually renewed and vibrant creativity. LVMH is proud to play this role in encouraging young designers to develop both their creativity and business success.

To find out more about the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize visit the prize website: www.lvmhprize.com