Derrick and Ponte among 20 semifinalists for 13th LVMH Prize

The semi-finalists for the 13th edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers have been unveiled. The 20 designers, drawn from more than 2,400 applicants worldwide, will present during a Paris showroom on March 4 to 5.

Among those selected are a number of notable names from the UK and US. From the UK, Luke Derrick’s menswear brand Derrick and Ponte, the womenswear and menswear label of Harry Pontefract, highlight London’s emphasis on progressive tailoring and cross-category dressing.

For the US, meanwhile, womenswear designer Colleen Allen joins Thai-American duo Cherry W. Rain-Phuangfueang and Teerapat Phuangfueang of Nong Rak. The shortlist also reflects the prize’s expanding global reach, welcoming designers from Georgia, Kenya and Thailand for the first time.

Delphine Arnault will host the semi-final showroom at the newly restored La Samaritaine, where eight finalists will be selected by a committee of more than 80 experts. Public voting will commence via a dedicated website from March 4 to 8.

The main prize awards 400,000 euros and a year-long mentorship within the LVMH ecosystem. The Karl Lagerfeld Prize and the Savoir-Faire Prize, meanwhile, each grant 200,000 euros and targeted mentoring, while three fashion graduates will join one of the luxury group’s design studios for a year.

The semi-finalists are;

• Act No1 by Luca Lin, Italy
• Colleen Allen by Collen Allen, US
• De Pino by Gabriel Figueiredo, France
• Derrick by Luke Derrick, UK
• Golsaah by Golnar Ahmadian, Iran
• Iamisigo by Bubu Ogisi, Nigeria
• Institution by Galib Gassanoff, Georgia
• Julie Kegels by Julie Kegels, Belgium
• Kartik Research by Kartik Kumra, India
• Kinyan Lam by Kinyan Lam, China
• Lll by Zane Li, China
• Maz Mauela Álvarez by Manuela Álvarez, Colombia
• Nong Rak by Cherry W. Rain-Phuangfueang, US, and Teerapat Phuangfueang, Thailand
• Petra Fagerström by Petra Fagerström, Sweden
• Ponte by Harry Pontefract, UK
• Shinyakozuka by Shinya Kozuka, Japan
• Ssstein by Kiichiro Asakawa, Japan
• The Vxlley by Daniel del Valle Fernandez, Spain
• Tíscar Espadas by Tíscar Espadas, Spain, and Kevin Kohler, Switzerland
• Yoshita 1967 by Anil Padia, Kenya