By Chinazam Ikechi-Uko.
Doechii in Tolu Coker.
Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) and Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel) are legendary designers with much more in common than they’d prefer. They have both been Met Gala themes, shared a lover, and their careers truly took off after they won an international prize. Almost a century later, these awards still possess the ability to skyrocket fashion careers.
Only a handful of these prizes hold as much power as the LVMH prize. The prestigious LVMH prize has a notable alumni list, including Wales Bonner (Kendrick Lamar’s go-to designer), Nensi Dojaka (worn by Bella Hadid, Zendaya, and Dua Lipa), and Marine Serre— Beyonce’s favourite.
Zendaya in Nensi Dojaka.
WHAT IS THE LVMH PRIZE?
The LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, established in 2014 by the LVMH luxury goods conglomerate, is a highly regarded international competition designed to discover and support emerging talent in the fashion industry.
Open to designers aged 18 to 40 with at least two collections, the prize offers significant financial rewards and invaluable mentorship from LVMH experts.
Beyond the main LVMH Prize, it also includes the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, the Savoir-Faire Prize, and the Graduates Award, further expanding its reach in the industry. This platform plays a crucial role in accelerating the careers of promising designers. It is a key tool for the group to identify and cultivate future design leaders.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE LVMH PRIZE
The snowball effect of being honoured with the LVMH prize rolls down to the semi-finalists, many of whom become formidable designers in later years. Brands like Off-White, AREA, and Dilara Findikoglu are notable semi-finalists.
In 2015, Orange Culture was among the first batch of designers selected for the first-ever LVMH Prize. Since then, African brands like Kenneth Ize and Tokyo James have reached the finals. In 2019, Thebe Magugu (South Africa) became the first African brand to win the LVMH Prize.
The prize is a 300,000-euro grant and a year’s worth of mentoring from the LVMH group. As one of the largest conglomerates in the world, the LVMH group has more than enough to offer the next generation of designers.
The mentorship provided by LVMH experts offers invaluable guidance in areas such as business strategy, marketing, production techniques, and scaling a fashion brand. Designers receive personalized support that helps them navigate the complexities of the fashion industry, improve their craft, and establish themselves more effectively in the market.
Since winning the LVMH Prize in 2019, Thebe Magugu has partnered with several notable brands and entities, such as Adidas and Canada Goose. He has also collaborated with international retailers, including a partnership with luxury department store SSENSE to showcase his collections.
This year, the list of the 20 semi-finalists is out, and a selection of Africans made it to the list. Here are the African brands guaranteed to define the future of the continent’s creative industry.
The selection process for semi-finalists typically involves a panel of esteemed judges from the fashion industry who evaluate the designers’ collections based on originality, creativity, technical skills, and potential for commercial success. Designers must demonstrate their unique vision and ability to contribute to the fashion landscape.
WHAT ARE THE AFRICAN BRANDS IN CONTENTION FOR THE LVMH PRIZE?
TOLU COKER:
A Tolu Coker piece.
With a British Vogue cover and a scene-stealing show at the London Fashion Week SS25 season, the British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker already feels like a household name. Her breakout SS25 collection has been donated by esteemed personalities like Tomi Adeyemi (Children Of Blood and Bone) and Grammy award winners like Tems, Ariana Grande, and Doechii.
The eponymous brand was founded in 2021 to redefine luxury through sustainability, inclusivity, and cultural preservation. Coker has used her collections to tell stories of her childhood in Nigeria, from her use of the shekere as a prop on the runway to creating hat silhouettes to reminisce about the hawking on the Nigerian streets—a trade her mom once dabbled in.
BOYEDOE:
A Boyedoe piece.
Boyedoe is an emerging Ghanaian fashion brand created by David Kusi Boye-Doe. The brand’s vision blends contemporary design with rich Ghanaian heritage. Boye-Doe explains that the designs emphasise sustainability, sophistication, silhouette, and “sunsum” (the Akan word for soul). Boyedoe utilises a made-to-order production strategy, which greatly minimises waste.
This can be observed in the brand’s love for incorporating African culture, folklore, colours, textures, and patterns. Collections draw inspiration from the mythical Ghanaian Sankofa bird, symbolising looking to the past to move forward.
Boyedoe is the first Ghanaian brand to reach the LVMH prize finals.
TORISHEJU:
Zendaya in TORISHEJU.
TORISHEJU is another brand that has slowly risen into the fashion mainstream. The eponymous label, founded by Torishéju Dumi in 2023, is driven by influences from her Nigerian-Brazilian heritage, upbringing, and formal fashion education (Central Saint Martins).
Her designs are known for their manipulation of fabrics and their play with dimensions and shapes. She is interested in world-building with her brand and having it expand into different dimensions beyond clothing stores.
TORISHEJU’s first collection, Mami Wata – water spirit in several African folklores – caught the attention of household names like Naomi Campbell and Zendaya. The latter, Zendaya, wore a TORISHEJU piece on the North American leg of her DUNE: Part 2 press tour. Her work has garnered significant attention, with pieces being acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (The annual location of the Met Gala). In January 2024, TORISHEJU covered British Vogue’s Sustainability issue alongside designers Tolu Coker and Priya Ahluwalia.
YASMIN MANSOUR:
Yasmin Mansour dress.
Yasmin Mansour is an Egyptian designer who crafts high-end fashion with an artistic and sustainable ethos, drawing inspiration from her cultural heritage and diverse artistic disciplines. The brand, named after its designer, notably won the 2024 Fashion Trust Arabia Prize. Since its debut in 2014, it has gained recognition for its unique and artistic designs.
The Yasmin Mansour label showcases designs characterised by sculptural elegance, architectural silhouettes, and intricate pleating. These designs are deeply influenced by Arab culture and traditional women’s clothing.
