The LVMH Prize has revealed the names of eight finalists in this year’s edition, as three UK-based designers enter the final round of the prestigious award.
This year’s finalists in the LVMH Prize 2025, with the final in Paris on September 3 – Prix LVMH
The eight were selected from a group of 20 semi-finalists who participated in the LVMH Young Fashion Creators Award, when they presented their ideas on March 5 and 6 in Paris.
“At the 12th edition of the LVMH Prize, the presentations of the semi-finalists highlighted the rich diversity of their backgrounds and their creativity. the rich diversity of their backgrounds and creative visions. Their high standards in terms of garment construction, artisanal research and refinement, and I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate them all,” said Delphine Arnault, CEO of Dior and the brainchild behind the awards.
With prize money of €300,000 for first prize, and €150,000 for the adjoining Karl Lagerfeld Prize, the LVMH Prize is one of the richest anywhere in fashion for emerging talent. This year’s final will be held at the Fondation Louis Vuitton on September 3.
A jury composed of over 50 Prize Experts, with a participation by the general public, selected the following eight, listed alphabetically.
Led by French designer Alain Paul, who showed women’s, men’s and unisex collections in inventive sculptural forms.
Followed by All-In by the duo of Benjamin Barron from the USA, and Bror August Vestbø from Norway, who presented women’s and unisex collections – featuring a fabulous frou frou gown accessorized with giant pearl necklaces.
From Italy, came Francesco Murano, a highly skillful draper.
From Japan, Soshi Otsuki, an exciting new talent in menswear.
Steve O Smith, from the United Kingdom, showed women’s and men’s collections – notable for their cut-out graphic style and bold sense of deconstruction.
A second London-based talent is Tolu Coker, with a brilliant blend of African iconography and prints coupled with bravura cutting and tailoring.
Also from the UK, Torishéju Dumi, whose women’s and men’s collections had a dynamic edgy grandeur.
And, finally, Zomer by Danial Aitouganov, a Dutch talent whose women’s shows in Paris have been highly acclaimed for several seasons.
“I would also like to sincerely thank our Committee of Experts for their renewed support. I wish all the candidates good luck and look forward to meeting them again at the 2025 final of the of the LVMH Prize,” concluded Arnault.
Retailer GO Outdoors has launched a new TV advert as part of the theme ‘Discover Freedom’, starring a zest-for-life parakeet called Billy.
The bird, voiced by actor Will Mellor (No Offence and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisp), dreams about freedom and spending his days in the outdoor world. So the moment he realises his cage door is unlocked, he seizes his opportunity… and heads straight to the GO Outdoors flagship store in York, the brand’s biggest in Europe.
Set to the disco track ‘Mighty Real’ by Sylvester, the little escapee dances through a series of products at the 125,000 sq ft store at Vangarde Shopping Park, sashaying passed a Stanley flask and moonwalking betweenGarmin watches, “providing a running commentary of his greatest adventure alongthe way”.
Carly Czuba, group marketing director for GO Outdoors, said:“Our new TV advert is a step forward in our Discover Freedom idea… with our hero Billy…experiencing the joy of outdoor shopping in our award winning York store.”
The ad is the second part of the Discover Freedom campaign, which highlights the group’s focus on “spending time outdoors to liberate yourself from the everyday grind”. The retailer worked with the Manchester-based creative agency driven to create the advert, which encourages customers to #BeMoreBilly.
With growth “accelerating”, Swedish customer experience platform Voyado has appointed Thomas Harris as chief revenue officer, effective 22 April.
Thomas Harris
Based in the UK, Harris will lead the purpose-built-for-retail platform, continuing its expansion across the UK&Ireland and Europe, “building on its strong Nordic foundation”.
With over a decade of experience in the Martech and SaaS space, Harris “has built and led high-performing revenue teams, helping customers grow and succeed in competitive markets”.
He joins “at a pivotal time as Voyado continues to demonstrate the platform’s resilience and impact in a turbulent market”. With operations across the UK, Nordics, Benelux, and now Germany, Voyado “is evolving from Nordic leader to European challenger — on a mission to become Europe’s most beloved retail partner”.
Erica Sandelin Ekelund, CEO at Voyado, said: “Bringing in someone with Thomas’s experience and strong focus on customer success gives us a real advantage. He knows what it takes to succeed in this space and is the right person to lead our next phase of international growth. Most importantly, he’s aligned with our mission to make every retailer feel like a frontrunner.”
Voyado’s growing customer base includes Ellis Brigham, Brora, Bestseller, Pour Moi, Cutler and Gross, Silver Cross, H&M, Luca Faloni and Jigsaw.
Expanding London-based luxury cashmere brand Les 100 Ciels has appointed social-first digital marketing agency SAMY. And its wide remit will cover organic and paid social media marketing, design/art direction, new collections and in-store activations.
Further, the agency has been charged with driving footfall to Les 100 Ciels’ stores, which include Knightsbridge, South Molton Street, and St John’s Wood in London, as well as traffic online, with sales “a key campaign KPI”.
SAMY will also “build awareness of the brand and communicate its quiet luxury credentials, including via targeted influencer activity”.
To cater for its growing global client base, Les 100 Ciels opened its first overseas retail outlet in Abu Dhabi at the end of March, with the agency also supporting its new store performance.
The agency will support the brand by producing “relevant content for key moments such as new store openings, new collections and gateway items to the full collection”, including the ‘100 Cap’ collection.
Meanwhile, a range of upcoming in-store events will focus on luxury, wellbeing, sustainability and exclusive artisanal themes, “potentially involving influencers and collaborations”.
Darren Hampton, brand director at Les 100 Ciels says: “We have ambitious plans … but we have to ensure that our growth respects the core principles of the brand that we have carefully built over time. SAMY showed us that they understood the careful alignment of messaging required to both promote the Les 100 Ciels brand and take our story out to a discerning audience who may not yet have heard of us, all while respecting our core values and exclusive approach. We are very excited by what lies ahead.”
Entertainment8 years ago