Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS
Published
Jun 7, 2023
Reading time
4 minutes
Download
Download the article
Print
Text size

LVMH Prize: Setchu by Satoshi Kuwata wins tenth edition

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS
Published
Jun 7, 2023

For its tenth edition, held on June 7 at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, the LVMH Prize for young fashion designers went to Japan's Satoshi Kuwata with his label Setchu. The award was presented by actress Gal Gadot.


Satoshi Kuwata with his label Setchu. - LVMH


Delphine Arnault, CEO of Christian Dior, presided over the ceremony. "The LVMH prize has grown considerably since 2013 and rewarded twenty designers from all over the world. Today we are looking to the future. And it is my pleasure to announce that we have decided to increase the prize money to 400,000 euros for the winner of the LVMH prize and 200,000 euros for the winner of the Karl Lagerfeld prize." Previous editions of the prize were worth 300,000 and 150,000 euros respectively.

Satoshi Kuwata will therefore benefit from an increased prize fund of 400,000 euros and personalised mentoring from LVMH teams, succeeding Steven Stokey Daley of S.S. Daley, who was last year's winner.

"I was a very very naughty boy and my mum was very worried about me. And now I can make my mum really happy," said the Japanese designer on stage, thanking Delphine Arnault for the support and inspiration.

"What I wanted to convey to the jury was a 360-degree approach to design and not just clothing design. I'm Japanese and I wanted to share a certain vitality. I follow the work of all these great designers and perhaps they saw in me an element of what they do. Because they're working on timeless garments that are marketable and sustainable. This prize is the most important one I've taken part in, and it's given me even more confidence as a designer."

Nine international designers were selected from 22 semi-finalists to take part in the final. They presented their universe to the jury, made up of LVMH's star creative directors Jonathan Anderson, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Kim Jones, Nigo, Stella McCartney and Silvia Venturini Fendi, as well as group executives Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie, LVMH's sponsorship advisor, and Sidney Toledano.

It was the designer's "commitment to work and vision" that won over the experts. "He has come a long way and has already built a legacy. We can't wait to see what he can create in the future," acknowledged the members of the jury, who warmly congratulated him as he stepped down from the podium.

Bettter and Magliano: the two new winners of the Karl Lagerfeld Prize



The finalists had to be aged between 18 and 40 and have designed at least two collections. The other finalists included British menswear designer Aaron Esh, Ukrainian designer and founder of the label Bettter Julie Pelipas, Turkish-born French fashion designer Burc Akyol, Jamaican designer Rachel Scott with her label Diotima, American Raul Lopez of Luar, Luca Magliano of Italian label Magliano, the duo Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard of Paolina Russo and Italian designer Véronica Leoni with her label Quira.

Just before the winners were announced, under the glass roof of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, each finalist presented two looks worn by models and two looks on mannequins to the journalists and major names of the fashion industry who were present at the event. The nine candidates certainly felt the pressure.
 
"After lengthy discussions to decide on a winner, we decided that two designers deserved to win this Karl Lagerfeld Prize," explained Delphine Arnault.
 
The two designers to win the Karl Lagerfeld Prize on Wednesday are Bettter and Magliano. They will each receive 200,000 euros, an amount that has also been increased from last year's 150,000 euros. They will also benefit from a year's mentoring by LVMH teams. This prize was also shared last year by Eli Russell Linnetz of ERL and Idris Balogun of Winnie New York.

Chinese singer Xin Liu presented the two winners with their awards. With tears in his eyes, Luca Magliano hung up his phone before replying to FashionNetwork.com "I've just got off the phone with my mum, which is why I'm crying like a baby," explained the Italian, all smiles and a trembling voice. "I thanked her for supporting me. It's just beautiful! After five years of hard work, this prize will allow us to be seen. Finally. We are now visible to everyone in the world, we exist. The next step is to grow, to become even more mature."

Several members of the jury highlighted a great maturity in the approach and work of all the finalists in this tenth edition.

"Everyone agreed on Satoshi Kuwata's maturity and his interpretation of his culture. This is undoubtedly the fruit of his vast experience," said Sydney Toledano. "Others were great, but the fruit is still ripening. And Bettter and Magliano are very promising. I think we have a group of people with a lot of potential. You can see the elegance in all of them. What's astonishing is their maturity. These are creative people who talk about margins. They're aware of what's at stake."

Maria-Grazia Chiuri, head of women's collections at Dior, added: "I'm very, very happy for all the winners. This year, all the designers were characterised by their great maturity and the translation of their different backgrounds into their brands."

The Setchu team will have little time to celebrate, as the label will be at Milan Fashion Week on June 17, before heading off to Paris next season.

Copyright © 2024 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.