LVMH Group announced that the thirteenth edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers has been awarded to Julie Kegels, founder of the Antwerp-based eponymous brand. The jury selected the Belgian designer from among more than 2,400 initial applicants and the 9 global finalists of this edition.

As the first-prize winner, Julie Kegels will receive financial support of €400,000 in the form of a scholarship and a one-year personalized mentorship program led by a dedicated team of LVMH experts.

Other finalists for the LVMH Prize included Sweden’s Petra Fagerström; French designer Gabriel Figueiredo’s brand De Pino; Ponte by British designer Harry Pontefract; Spanish designer Daniel del Valle’s label The Vxlley; Institution by Galib Gassanoff from Georgia; and U.S. designer Colleen Allen.

The Karl Lagerfeld Prize for Innovation went to Chinese designer Zane Li (founder of the Lii brand). The prize, presented by Dior ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas, includes €200,000 and a year of consulting on topics such as sustainable development, communication, copyright and corporate legal matters, marketing, production, and brand financial management.

The Savoir-Faire Prize was awarded to Kenyan designer Anil Padia (founder of the Yoshita 1967 brand), the first finalist in the award's history to hail from Kenya. The prize celebrates craftsmanship excellence, innovation, and sustainability rooted in the designer's cultural heritage, and includes a €200,000 grant and a year of mentorship.

Anil Padia, the first Kenyan designer to participate in the competition, won the "Savoir-Faire" award, presented by Thai actress and model Urassaya "Yaya" Sperbund, a Louis Vuitton brand ambassador, with his brand Yoshita 1967; the prize includes a grant of €200,000 and a one-year mentorship program.

The jury was composed of twelve creative directors from the group’s fashion houses, such as Jonathan Anderson (Loewe), Maria Grazia Chiuri (Dior), Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs, Nigo (Kenzo), Phoebe Philo, Silvia Venturini Fendi, and Pharrell Williams (Creative Director of Louis Vuitton Men’s), alongside the strategic participation of Delphine Arnault (ceo of Christian Dior), Jean-Paul Claverie (advisor to Bernard Arnault and director of Corporate Philanthropy at LVMH), and Sidney Toledano (special advisor to the group).

An award for recent fashion school graduates was also announced: María Alborés (Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp), Candice Morin (IFM Paris), and Louis Presencer (Central Saint Martins London) will each receive a €10,000 grant, shared with their respective institutions, and will join the studios of Dior Women’s, Celine Men’s, and Louis Vuitton Men’s Accessories.