Runway

Meet the LVMH Prize Semi-Finalists Who Are Breaking Down Aesthetic Hierarchies and Making Systemic Change

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After a year of COVID lockdowns, optimism was the prevailing attitude of the fall 2021 collections, and it’s the defining characteristic of this year’s LVMH Prize semi-finalists too. “They’re resolutely turned towards the future,” said Delphine Arnault, the executive vice president of Louis Vuitton and founder of the prize, in an email exchange. A “constant of this edition,” she added, is “their sincere and deep commitment to the major issues of our society: ecology, social, and environmental responsibility. They are all very committed.”

This year’s competition hasn’t been unaffected by the pandemic. The Avenue Montaigne showroom where the semi-finalists typically display their work during Paris Fashion Week was forced to go digital, and the serendipitous conversations you can count on happening there took place over Zoom, if they happened at all. But it’s not all negatives. As Arnault explained, “the digital platform for this semi-final gave us the opportunity to share the candidates’ creations with the general public, in addition to the Committee of Experts and the press…. The public vote appeared to us to be an obvious extension of this openness and already more than 32,000 have voted online.” 

Even when the event is IRL again, the public element isn’t likely to go away. “The success of the digital platform and the number of connections since April 6 [when it launched] is a great encouragement for all designers. It shows the interest of the public to discover, share, and engage with the young creators. This will of course be taken into account for the years to come,” Arnault said.

Bigger picture, the COVID crisis seems to be shaping adaptable, well-rounded, refreshingly uncossetted young designers. “I was very impressed by the maturity of all the semi-finalists,” Arnault said. “Indeed, apart from their creative talent, they show a real mastery of the issues that come with the creation and perpetuation of a brand, and this in a world that is constantly evolving: They have paid particular attention to sourcing and production, but also to the marketing of their collections, because the health crisis has obviously impacted the traditional channels. They have thought about their business plan, they are very professional.”

Here, the LVMH Prize semi-finalists share selects looks from their latest collections alongside their impressions of the competition. 

  • Image may contain Toy Human and Person
    Photo: Adrian Bassanelli / Courtesy of AGR
    1/20

    Alicia Robinson of AGR: This honor means everything to me and I definitely cried when I found out we had got through. As a brand we have also only been going for two years so it’s definitely a great feeling to know that we are going in the right direction. I hope that anyone looking at the brand can see how much we embrace diversity and are for the people. 

  • Photo: Courtesy of Bianca Saunders
    2/20

    Bianca Saunders: It’s important to think of how individual you are and to keep pushing forward your uniqueness, as that keeps a brand surviving—to keep people inspired in such difficult times. Overall the pandemic taught me to adapt but also find my strength. 

  • Photo: Courtesy of Charles de Vilmorin
    3/20

    Charles de Vilmorin: The goal is to touch people with our creations, to tell stories in which they find themselves. I think it’s great that this year people can vote for their favorite designer, it also shows the impact that brands can have on people. I would like my brand to be fun, to get people to interact.

  • Photo: Courtesy of Christopher John Rogers
    4/20

    Christopher John Rogers: The breaking down of aesthetic hierarchies—the idea of dressing for an intellectual, or an ingenue, someone mature versus someone more youthful, doesn’t really exist in our world as a brand…. This idea of adhering to an archetype is something that we’re trying to reject, and actively offering pieces that allow for an expansive expression of self. We consider different body types when designing into the collection, and try to offer a range of silhouettes that allow for people to see themselves in the work regardless of their size. We believe that if you like the collection, there should be something there for you to explore. 

    Christopher John Rogers, fall 2021

  • Photo: Courtesy of Conner Ives
    5/20

    Conner Ives: I was so humbled by the nomination. The LVMH Prize was something I pictured doing years from now. Only two years ago I was working at Fenty; so this felt like something far away from that. I do really want people to see that as an advantage, or a strength. I feel I’ve done a lot of things in my career before I was supposed to. And there is no better feeling than the sense of accomplishment that comes with being the underdog. I feel I have already achieved so much just to make it to this point. It’s pretty cliché but that feels bigger than the whole competition to me. That I made it here in the first place.

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