A groundbreaking number of designers applied to the fourth year of LVMH’s annual Prize for Young Fashion Designers: 1,200 candidates from 90 countries, to be exact. Twenty-one designers from around the globe—Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New-Zealand, Russia, Spain Taiwan, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.—were chosen as semifinalists. Here’s the breakdown: Ten of the semifinalists design menswear exclusively, nine design womenswear exclusively, and two design both womenswear and menswear. All of the designers have been invited to meet the committee comprised of 45 international fashion experts, who will pick eight finalists on March 2nd and 3rd in Paris during Paris Fashion Week.
“The increasing numbers of candidates for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers prove once more the enthusiasm generated by the Prize, which is strongly committed to its international dimension. For the 2017 edition, we have selected 21 designers from Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New-Zealand, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Menswear asserts its strong presence in the selection alongside women’s inspiring collections, strong on high-grade know-how,” said Delphine Arnault, who launched the LVMH prize. “This year, two distinct characteristics stand out among the propositions of the candidates. Streetwear influences many collections. As for the gender diversity of the creations, it is emblematic of this edition. Boldness in innovation is the keyword for these 21 young designers. As the leader of the fashion industry, it is the mission of the LVMH group to discover and help young talents to develop their uniqueness.”
The LVMH Prize will be awarded on June 16 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. Three grads from fashion schools will also be awarded the Graduate Prize, which remains open to applications until May 15, 2017.
Here is the full list of designers:
Abasi Rosborough by Greg Rosborough (American menswear designer based in New York)
Ambush by Yoon Ahn (American designer of unisex collections based in Tokyo, showing in Tokyo)
Angus Chiang by Angus Chiang (Taiwanese menswear designer based in Taiwan)
Atlein by Antonin Tron (French womenswear designer based in Paris)
Blindness by JiSun Park (Korean menswear designer based in Seoul)
Cecilie Bahnsen by Cecilie Rosted Bahnsen (Danish womenswear designer based in Copenhagen)
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy by Charles Jeffrey (British menswear designer based in London)
Daniel W. Fletcher by Daniel Fletcher (British menswear designer based in London)
Dilara Findikoglu by Dilara Findikoglu (Turkish womenswear designer based in London)
GMBH by Serhat Isik (German collective of unisex collections based in Berlin)
Jahnkoy by Maria Kazakova (Russian menswear designer based in New York)
Katherine Mavridis by Katherine Mavridis (Australian womenswear designer based in New York)
Kozaburo by Kozaburo Akasaka (Japanese menswear designer based in Tokyo)
Maggie Marilyn by Maggie Hewitt (New Zealand womenswear designer based in Auckland)
Marine Serre by Marine Serre (French womenswear designer based in Paris)
Martine Rose Studios Limited by Martine Rose (British menswear designer based in London)
Molly Goddard by Molly Goddard (British womenswear designer based in London)
Nabil Nayal by Nabil el Nayal (British womenswear designer based in London)
Palomo Spain by Alejandro Gomez Palomo (Spanish menswear designer based in Cordoba)
Richard Malone by Richard Malone (Irish womenswear designer based in London)
Sulvam by Teppei Fujita (Japanese menswear designer based in Tokyo)
