The 8 finalists for 6th edition of the LVMH Prize was revealed. The prestigious young designer competition debuted in 2014 under Delphine Arnault’s supervision in order to support an up-and-coming fashion brand with a €300,000 grant and a year-long mentorship by an industry professional.

"The diversity and the richness of the collections of the sixth edition of the LVMH Prize confirm the quality of the selection, which made the choice of our 63 experts hard on March 1st and 2nd. I would like to congratulate the 20 semi-finalists for their talent and their commitment. I wish to thank all the fashion experts involved in the semi-final. This edition notably establishes the emergence of environmental and sustainable issues among the applicants. The final shortlist of the Prize highlights gender-neutral collections with 4 designers presenting creations that can be worn by both women and men. Among the other finalists, 2 design womenswear and 2 menswear.," said Delphine Arnault, Executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton and founder of the LVMH Prize, in an official statement.

In addition, for the first time ever, 1 Israeli designer and 2 African designers (from Nigeria and South Africa) made the final round of the competition.

The winner of the 2019 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers will be announced in June, 2019, at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, after the general deliberation of the Jury, which includes 8 Artistic Directors of LVMH brands, namely Jonathan Anderson (Loewe), Maria Grazia Chiuri (Christian Dior Couture), Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (Kenzo), Clare Waight Keller (Givenchy) and newcomer Kris Van Assche (Berluti); next to Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie (Advisor to Bernard Arnault and Director of Corporate Sponsorship at LVMH), and Sidney Toledo (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Fashion Group).

Moreover, the Graduate Prize remains open to applications from young fashion school graduates until 15 May, who will have the opportunity to work in the design studios of three Maisons of the LVMH group for one year.

[red]The list of finalists[/red] (in alphabetic order):

ANREALAGE, by Kunihiko Morinaga (Japanese designer based in Tokyo).
Womenswear collections showing in Paris.

BETHANY WILLIAMS, by Bethany Williams (British designer based in London).
Unisex collections showing in London.

BODE, by Emily Adams Bode (American designer based in New York).
Menswear showing in New York.

HED MAYNER, by Hed Mayner (Israeli designer based in Tel Aviv).
Unisex collections showing in Paris.

KENNETH IZE, by Kenneth Izedonmwen ( Nigerian designer based in Lagos).
Unisex collections showing in Paris and Lagos.

PHIPPS, by Spencer Phipps (American designer based in Paris).
Unisex collections showing in Paris.

STEFAN COOKE, by Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt (British designer based in London).
Menswear showing in London.

THEBE MAGUGU, by Thebe Magugu (South African designer based in Johannesbourg).
Womenswear showing in Johannesbourg.

More information on LVMH Prize