This article first appeared on Vogue Runway.
Couture has wrapped, and the jury for the 35th-anniversary edition of the Andam Prize has spoken.
On Thursday evening, Christopher Esber, who founded his namesake brand in 2010 and has recently expanded into swim and jewellery, took home the Andam Grand Prize for Fashion, a €300,000 windfall that comes with a year’s worth of mentoring and a Swarovski trophy designed by Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, president of the 2024 Andam Prize jury, and winner of the top prize back in 2011.
The jury’s special prize was awarded to 3. Paradis, founded by Emeric Tchatchoua, who recently relocated his atelier from Montreal back home to Paris. His label is based on notions of gratitude, and notably the loss of his brother to street violence: its symbol is the dove. The label was founded in 2013 and landed on the LVMH Prize shortlist in 2018.
The Pierre Bergé Prize went to Pièces Uniques and the Accessories prize to Maeden. Each of those awards carries a grant of €100,000, as does the Innovation Prize, which went to the founder Pauline Weinmann of Alternative Innovation.
For every one of this year’s 12 finalists, the season is already a big win: all will receive support and perks from various houses and institutions for their upcoming collections. Among them: special access to deadstock and other materials from Balenciaga and Longchamp, digital support from Google, private visits of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent and the Swarovski showroom, hands-on mentoring and workshops offered by Mytheresa (on communication), OTB (sustainability), and Tomorrow (merchandising); WSN and Première Classe are to provide support for the winners’ next PFW event. Also included is an open door to the IFM Accelerator programme and financial guidance from the IFCIC, a credit institution specialising in the cultural and creative sectors.
A roundup of looks by past winners is currently on show on the second floor of the Galeries Lafayette flagship in Paris. On 30 September, the MAD Museum will inaugurate an exhibition featuring looks by each of the previous 35 grand prize winners.
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