After a two-day showroom in Paris on 4 and 5 March, the LVMH Prize announces its eight finalists today. Selected from a group of 19 semi-finalists – reduced from 20 when Maximilian Davis dropped out just days before being announced as the new creative director of Salvatore Ferragamo – the finalists span the globe, from Japan to Nigeria to the United States. They are: Ashlyn from South Korea, ERL from the US, KNWLS from the United Kingdom, Roisin Pierce from Ireland, Ryunosukeokazaki from Japan, S.S. Daley from the UK, Tokyo James from Nigeria, and Winnie from the US. The eight finalists will compete for the grand prize and the Karl Lagerfeld prize for innovation later this spring, with the winners chosen by a panel of LVMH designers.
Delphine Arnault, the founder of the LVMH Prize and executive vice president of Louis Vuitton, admits narrowing down the list from 19 to just eight was difficult, with young talents embracing creativity in all forms. “With their creations, all the semi-finalists of this edition show great talent, but also real maturity. They are committed, passionate and interested in all aspects of their business. Nowadays, designers are required to do much more than simply designing, and the candidates also have a real interest in all related yet essential issues from marketing to sourcing, image… Everything matters in a brand!” says Arnault. “The committee of experts and, for the second year running, the general public were able to vote for their favourite candidates, determining which designers will compete in the 2022 final.”
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Today’s multifaceted approaches to design and building businesses – from using upcycled materials like Roisin Pierce and Tokyo James to producing one-offs in small quantities like S.S. Daley – have influenced, in some part, the evolution of sustainability and new practices at LVMH at large. “Today, the ethical, environmental, and social aspects impact the entire value chain of our industry,” says Arnault. “I believe that all the designers within the Group are embracing these issues and integrating them into their creative process.”
Both groups, the LVMH creative leaders and the younger LVMH Prize finalists, will meet face-to-face at the Fondation Louis Vuitton later this spring for the final judging – a true meeting of the minds and a forum to share ideas about the future of creativity. “All the members of the jury and I are delighted to be able to welcome these 8 designers and meet them at the final at the Louis Vuitton Foundation,” says Arnault, adding that the final date will be announced soon. “This is an opportunity for interaction and heated debate, for the finalists as well as for all of us, while this event gives them the chance to highlight the extent of their talent.”
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Steff Yotka