2015 LVMH prize goes to British label Marques'Almeida

25 May '15

2 min read

Marques’Almeida, the British label designed by Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida, has scooped up the 2015 LVMH Young Designer’s Prize, the media has reported.

The designers won not only 300,000 euros (about $333,000), fashion’s biggest cash windfall for a new brand, but also a year’s mentorship from executives in the world’s largest luxury group. They will also get the LVMH stamp of approval, an invaluable asset when it comes to persuading retailers to invest in a young name.

Almeida and Ms. Marques, in a phone call from Paris, described the award as a turning point for them.

Marques’Almeida beat out seven other finalists for the prize. Jacquemus, a Paris-based label designed by Simon Porte Jacquemus, was awarded a special jury prize and will receive 150,000 euros

The prize is decided by a jury composed of most of LVMH’s star designers, including Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Nicolas Ghesquière, Raf Simons, Phoebe Philo (among others), as well as Delphine Arnault, an executive at Louis Vuitton and one of the group’s main talent hunters.

Like Thomas Tait, the inaugural winner of the LVMH prize in 2014, Marques’Almeida (which was a semifinalist last year) is based in London. Though Almeida, who is 29, and Ms. Marques, 28, are Portuguese, both attended Central Saint Martins and studied under the late and legendary teacher Louise Wilson.

Their win suggests that the established fashion world is still looking to London for its new talent.

Marques’Almeida made its debut at London Fashion Week in 2011 and became known for its designers’ creative use of denim, though they are quick to point out that their ambitions and identity lie not with jeans, but high-end women’s wear. (SH)

Fibre2fashion News Desk – India

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