Fashion’s Greatest Stars Come Out For the LVMH Prize Finalists
Delphine Arnault with Kanye West. Photo: Saskia Lawaks
While the fashion shows are divine, at this stage in the season, attendees can be cynical about this that or the other. (Having to take the stairs. Your driver is waiting in the wrong spot. Someone stepped on the back of your Loubs.) But any of that kind of angst was nonexistent at a cocktail party earlier this week to celebrate the 26 finalists of the LVMH Prize. The annual event celebrates the next gen of talent, and excitement—both from the designers themselves and the guests in attendance—was palpable. “This is like the Oscars of new designers,” a giddy Kanye West told Yahoo Style as he made sure to stop at each of the 26 booths to check out the wares (shopping for Kim perhaps?) while also posing for pictures with the awestruck talent. As for his favorites? His pal Virgil Abloh of Off-White and British menswear designer Craig Green.
Aside from the fact that power players like Karl Lagerfeld, Raf Simons, and J.W. Anderson were walking around the room greeting each designer, the room was abuzz that the future of the industry was potentially all in one room. To apply, the designers have to be under 40 and have shown at least two collections. This year over 1,000 people from all over the world signed up for the prize, which results in a $300,000 reward and a year of mentorship for the chosen ones. That kind of cash infusion would make a huge difference for a young upstart. “We were having one of those days when we got the call that we made it through the first round,” said Scott Studenberg who designs Baja East with John Targon. “We were going through our bills and stressing about vendors and we got the call that we were finalists and suddenly it was like, Oh we’re going to be fine!”
Adrien Joffee of Comme des Garçons with Scott Studenberg and John Targon of Baja East. Photo: Saskia Lawaks
A few booths down, London-based designer Faustine Steinmetz, whose recently collection focused on the art of the glitch and featured denim that looked like it was jammed in a printer or copying machine, said that she was in her studio when she got the call. “We just shut down for the day, grabbed some wine and danced!”
“The LVMH prize is open to everybody,” noted fashion consultant and competition judge Julie Gilhart. “It’ really impressive, the stories that come out of speaking with the designers. We have designers from the Ukraine, from China, all over. It’s really cool.” The next phase of the competition is to whittle it down to eight designers, who will then compete for the grand prize. Decisions, decisions! We were particularly enchanted by the Paris-based Koché who has worked with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld creating couture gowns and whose own label is a street wear-meets-couture vibe, New Yorker Ryan Roche for her lovely knits, and Londoner Ryan Lo, who and said his most recent collection of fanciful doll-like dresses and coats was “Anna Karenina meets Frozen.”
Among the most esteemed guests was Louis Vuitton Executive Vice President Delphine Arnault, who brought her father, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault to each station, and then did the same for Lagerfeld. “When we started this competition last year we didn’t know what it would become,” she said, looking around. “These stories are all so inspiring. It’s hard to pick just one.”
Karl Lagerfeld. Photo: Saskia Lawaks
