So the LVMH Prize is wrapping up today. Also, I hope you’ve enjoyed a week of con-TENT henny.
I am always left surprised by the result so I wanted to have a pow wow and make some predictions about it. I also am going to explain how the divas work.
Before we get started.
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HOT AND DANGEROUS
What the hell is the LVMH Prize
The LVMH Prize aims to support young fashion designers. This sponsorship initiative reflects the values of our Group: our designers single out the talent of tomorrow, and they are rewarded and supported through the development of their House. The winner of the LVMH prize will receive a 300,000 euro grant and personalized assistance in the development of his or her company from a specific team within the Group, over a period of twelve months, as from the presentation of the LVMH Prize. This assistance is available from all the areas of expertise which may interest a burgeoning fashion House (production and distribution, image and communication, marketing, intellectual property, and so on).
So there are technically 2 prizes. There’s the LVMH prize and the Karl Lagerfeld prize. The KL prize winner gets 150 000 euros and a year of mentorship as well.
The whole rigor morris started in 2013 (technically 2014 but who cares) Thomas Tait took it that year. Some of the winners include Thebe Magugu, Sindiso Khumalo, Grace Wales Bonner, Marine Serre, Nensi Dojaka, and most recently, SS Daley What is more interesting are the Robbed moms
Some of the competitors of prominence include:
Christopher John Rogers, Simone Rocha, Craig Green, Coperni, Off-White, Vetements by Demna, Y/Project, Botter, Ludovic Saint Sernin, Jacquemus, Hed Mayner, Kenneth Ize, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Kid Super, KNWLS and Tokyo James. (Some of the people listed here won the special prize (that would become the KL prize)
So you see, this is kinda the big ticket. It’s easily how you get industry-wide recognition if you become a finalist and use it as a networking opportunity
The members of the Jury are all people who are at LVMH. It is like the Grammy’s up in here
This year, the Jury is:
Nigo (Kenzo)
JW Anderson (Loewe)
Delphine Arnault (CEO of Louis Vuitton and a cast member of the real life version of Succession)
Maria Grazia Chiuri
Silvia Venturini Fendi
Kim Jones
Stella McCartney
Marc Jacobs
Nicolas Ghesquiere
What is interesting about this edition is that, fun fact, I don’t care for half of these designers. I’m going to give you a rapid fire moment about the designers and then bitch
Aaron Esh
London-born Aaron Esh graduated from Central Saint Martins MA before launching his namesake brand in 2022. Aaron Esh designs contemporary menswear that embraces a modern vision of romance, elegance and chic. Inspired by womenswear and haute couture techniques through a slightly dishevelled lens – curved hems, cropped jackets, wrapped trousers... These details, constructions and silhouettes, traditionally used in womenswear, are juxtaposed with menswear staples, fabrics and finish. Aaron Esh subverts the masculine archetype, showing there can be allure to menswear with softness and elegance – redefining what masculinity means in a wardrobe.
Look, Aaron reminds me of Conner Ives. I think it’s lovely work and the idea is cool but I think he’s stuck in trying to make it MENSWEAR when I think there is a world to explore. I hope that he takes more risks. There are better competitors in the game
BETTTER
Julie Pelipas is a former Fashion Director of Vogue Ukraine, with 15 years of experience in the fashion industry. In addition, she has provided sustainability and creative direction consultancy for numerous brands. In 2019, Pelipas launched Bettter, an upcycling system that operates as a platform with a shared purpose. Bettter reworks dead stock garments and produces inclusive clothes by using customers’ body metrics. Following the war in Ukraine, she launched the bettter.COMMUNITY, working to bring the vibrant creativity of her native country to the wider world and to keep Ukrainian businesses growing
Look, I think the aesthetic of the brand is great. I also think that we have clean, interesting and a whole sustainability focused brand. It’s really lovely. The clothing is cool I guess. I’m not going crazy
I don’t think she’s going to win but well done.
Burc Akyol
Akyol is a French couturier of Turkish descent. As a child, he was introduced to the craft by his father, a tailor. After graduating from l’Institut Français de la Mode in Paris in 2007 and working for several French Maisons, including Christian Dior and Balenciaga, Akyol launched his eponymous label in 2019. Inspired by people he meets, places he travels to, his own mixed heritage and traditional Haute Couture, Akyol focuses on elevated essentials of the wardrobe, with revealing details and black satin framings.
Well done for making it this far sweetie (Justice for Markk Null)
Diotima
Scott brings vast technical and creative knowledge to Diotima. Her experience at Costume National laid the groundwork for an approach to fashion rooted in a reverence for craft, construction and fine materials – and, as a Jamaican, her design sensibility grounds her work in the concrete intersection of the historical, political and the aesthetic. With Diotima, Scott confronts, challenges and relates to the complexities surrounding race, gender and our relationship to work and labour.
This is more complicated to try and review because it’s very cerebral. The brand seeks to create ties and juxtaposition in the tensions of colonialiality and craft using seductive stylings. I think it might fly over a lot of people’s heads but Using heritage tweeds in the UK and crochet work in Jamaica is wild to me because it creates a dialogue that I think a lot of people don’t know how to engage with. I think she might get the Karl Prize. Wild.
LUAR
Luar is for someone who feels comfortable in their own skin, and can express it through their clothing. It’s for everyone. Every detail of the brand reflects Raul’s distinctively inclusive style. There’s a feeling that Luar is for everyone. It’s a celebration of identity, joy, and the always energetic spirit of Raul himself.
The dolls that get it, get it. But I don’t think he’s going to win. I know booooooo tomatoes. If he does, we’ll celebrate
Magliano
Much of the brand imagery is nurtured by the concept of the "provincia", a widespread system of dramatic landscapes and peripheral areas where people speak vernacular languages and where magic realism happens. Magliano imbues menswear fundamentals with a dark, off-beat and dishevelled attitude to make it a natural genderless code. The design is minimal yet chaotic, the tone quintessentially Italian.
NO. YOU ARE NOT MARTINE ROSE
Paolina Russo
The brand is a rose-tinted supercut of Russo’s suburban upbringing in Canada, and Guilmard’s French folklore references. Memories of youth sports teams and DIY arts-and-crafts projects permeate the brand's avant-garde garments
Everyone knows I hate sport but I kinda love this…
I think there is a tackiness that triumphs in sleek lines, interesting prints and focussed selling point, athletic knitwear.
I don’t see it but they might. I don’t think they’re better than Markk Null but they are probably going to sell a bucket load.
Quira
Quira is her solo endeavour, named after her seamstress grandmother, Quirina. Sentimental value is woven into the creative fabric of the brand. Quirina is where Veronica Leoni’s path started and Quira captures that ever-present sentiment into a tangible form.
With a career that spans Jil Sander and Celine you can clearly see her training. It’s emotional tailoring that I think is fun and exciting to watch. The silhouettes are sharp and full at the same time. It’s intriguing and I am definitely looking to see her work in the future. I think that what may bite her in the but is the whimsy. LVMH is consistently looking toward clean. Romanticism is a bonus. I think she may take the Karl prize and not the main overall.
Setchu
The fusion of two diverse cultures, through their styles and concepts, creates something new from something familiar. Taking elements that one would not expect to blend, In Setchu, the essence of each recognisable element is merged create something previously unseen. SETCHU’s DNA is as simple as this.
“The compromise between the east and the west” is how he describes the brand which is based in Milan. He has worked at Saville Row, Givenchy, Gareth Pugh, and as a consultant at Kanye West’s first attempt at a label. He also studied at CSM (😉). I think he’s doing some interesting things and I can applaud him for that. I still feel like he is still realising the brand’s identity. When I think of winners, Thebe and Grace Wales Bonner, heck, even Nensi Dojaka were in a stronger position and have become titans in the industry so I don’t think he’s ready
Okay, so I realised I warmed up to everyone. The truth is that, I put on my LVMH hat. Looking at the trend of success and how they selected the finalists, the want cash cows. They’re looking to do what Bernard does best, invest in 50% and then pump the beat. I think, tbh, this is the LVMH recruitment camp for future CD’s. I mean, look at Stella, JWA, Marc, and most recently, Off-White
Anyway
Top Prize: Luar
Karl Lagerfeld Prize: Quira/Diotima (I do see Aaron Esh as someone close up)
Have a great day and remember that these gays are trying to murder me
Loves it,