The LVMH Prize was created in 2013 to support young fashion designers from all around the globe. Today’s finale – which took place at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris – has just announced the 25-year-old French-Belgian designer Marine Serre as its new winner, with Japanese born Kozaboru Akasaka as the runner-up.
This year’s competition had over 3000 applications representing over 100 nationalities. Narrowed down to eight finalists, the finale was judged by the likes of fashion royalty including Phoebe Philo, Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Karl Lagerfeld, Nicolas Ghesquière, Riccardo Tisci, Marc Jacobs and Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. And if that wasn’t already enough talent in one room, Rihanna turned up to present the prizes. Competing finalists included Kozaburo Akasaka, Cecile Bahnsen, Yoon Ahn of Ambush, Antonin Tron, Maria Kazakova, and British-bred rising stars Nabil Nayal and Molly Goddard.
The winner of the $300,000 and supportive mentorship from LVMH and its network, Serre follows in the footsteps of previous winners including Grace Wales Bonner and Marta Marques & Paulo Almeida. With Central Saint Martins graduate Kozaboru Akasaka additionally receiving $150,000, the young pair of designers are certainly set to be granted quite the opportunity to make their mark in the industry.