The jury is officially out. London-based, Albanian-born designer Nensi Dojaka has beaten more than 2,000 applicants to win the 8th edition of the prestigious LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, joining the ranks of Marine Serre and Jacquemus.
Established in 2013, the awards were created to jumpstart young designers’ careers in fashion. The award embodies the commitment of the group towards creativity and entrepreneurship. Applications are open to anyone under the age of 40 who has produced 2 collections, with the winners being rewarded with a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — mentorship from the LVMH team.
Following the cancellation of the 2020 ceremony (and resulting 8-way split of the award between finalists including Peter Do and Casablanca), the 2021 event saw some of the world’s greatest artistic directors, imminent fashion specialists, risk takers and rule breakers descend on Paris for the momentous occasion.
The event was hosted by the dynamic duo of YouTube’s very own Derek Blasberg and Emma Chamberlain. (grand) jury consisted of Virgil Abloh, Stella McCartney, Jonothan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs and Kim Jones, with 9 finalists hailing from France, China, South Africa, America, England and (for the first time), Colombia and Albania. The creative energy in the room was insurmountable.
Contending for the two prizes – the LVMH Prize and Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize – were Nensi Dojaka, Bianca Saunders, Charles de Vilmorin, Christopher John Rogers, Conner Ives, Kika Vargas, Lukhanyo Mdingi, Rui by Rui Zhou and KidSuper by Colm Dillane.Rui, KidSuper and Lukhanyo took out the Special Jury Prize, while Nensi Dojaka was awarded 300,000€ and one-year mentorship tailored to her needs.
The accolades didn’t end there, though, with three young fashion school graduates (Adam Kost, Franziska Simon andEric Starc), each receiving 10,000€. They were also invited to join the studios of three ateliers of the LVMH houses for one year, Louis Vuitton menswear, Dior menswear and Dior womenswear respectively.
Nensi, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, is a celebrated designer, with her work coveted by the likes of Emma Corrin, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid and Iris Law. Her creations are characterised by asymmetry, sheer material and 90’s style silhouettes.
The 9th iteration of the awards will return in 2022. Congratulations to the finalists and winners!
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