Yahoo Sports These Designers Were Just Anointed the Future of Fashion
Today in Paris, when actress Gal Gadot presented Satoshi Kuwata of Setchu with the 2023 LVMH Prize, he said, “I was a really naughty boy and my mom was really worried about me." He was talking about his childhood, but shortly after, when I spoke to him over Zoom, he mentioned his mother again. She had been waiting up late for his call after the ceremony, and when they finally spoke, he could tell she was about to cry.
The LVMH Prize is the biggest, most prestigious prize in fashion for a young designer. With it comes 400,000 euros (equivalent to $429,000) and a year of mentoring from an LVMH executive. Out of 2,400 applicants, nine finalists were selected this year, which is one more than the eight selected in 2022. To be considered, you must be under the age of 40 and have produced at least two ready-to-wear collections. This year’s group, which included Raul Lopez of the beloved New York line Luar and Rachel Scott of Diotima, the first Jamaican brand to be included in the competition, was considered particularly diverse. Four of the finalists were self-taught. Six were over the age of 35 and launched their brands recently.
Kuwata, age 39, was born in Japan and worked at Givenchy, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Jil Sander, and Celine before starting Setchu in Milan in 2020. His best-selling garment, the Origami jacket, looks like a tailored blazer, but with pleats reminiscent of the folds of a kimono.
"It is simply East meets West," he says of his brand, adding that he never wanted it to be eponymous: “I didn't name my brand after me because the most important thing in fashion is teamwork.”
The team, he explains, consists of everyone from supporters like his mother to those who are in the studio with him everyday. Setchu isn’t his name, it’s theirs, and he hopes one day it will be world-famous. “I believe that Setchu will be a heritage company,” he told me. “I didn't put my name because I want my company to be one of the maisons. I want to be in that group. And that's my goal. I'm thinking of 20 to 30 years from now.”
Creating a new maison in 2023 is a lofty goal for most emerging designers, but it does feel like something LVMH could do. As the world’s largest luxury conglomerate, with over 75 brands from Loewe to Dior, the company launched the prize in 2014 as a way to bolster new talent in a time where small businesses often falter. Past winners have included Simon Porte Jacquemus of Jacquemus, whose clothes encapsulate a French joie de vivre as Instagramable as the Côte d’Azur itself, and Grace Wales Bonner, the British designer whose recent collaborations with Adidas has created a Samba sneaker sell-out phenomena.
Asked about his own inspirations, Kuwata mentions the “all-star” cast of designer judges who selected him. “Nicolas Ghesquière is a genius. He is an artist, not a fashion designer. Maria Grazia Chiuri...well, she designs the clothes that people really want to wear. Silvia Fendi has always made playful creations.” Other members included Jonathan Anderson, Kim Jones, and Stella McCartney—as well as Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie, Sidney Toledano, and Nigo, the Artistic Director of Kenzo.
This year's Karl Lagerfeld special jury award was given to two designers, Julie Pelipa of Bettter and Luca Magliano of Magliano. The former fashion director of Vogue Ukraine, Pelipa created her label as a response to what she saw as an "all talk, no action" approach to sustainability from the industry. Bettter uses an upcycling system that reworks deadstock garments to make inclusive pieces based on a customer’s body metrics. Over Zoom, she said she views her award as significant statement, “The fact that this prize was given to Bettter means the industry is really ready for this.”
As for Magliano, he’s just excited to be able to create more “fucked-up classics” from his eponymous label, now that he has the means to expand his team from its current three-person framework. They will both receive 200,000 euros (equivalent to $214,000) and a yearlong LVMH mentorship
In a statement following the ceremony, Delphine Arnault said, “Today, I am delighted to celebrate the tenth edition of the LVMH Prize and to honor Setchu, whose designs blend great tailoring and elegance, producing collections that are both streamlined and exquisitely cut. The jury has also decided to award the Karl Lagerfeld Prize both to Bettter for its cutting-edge upcycled creations, and Magliano, a brand that champions casual and poetic designs.” Whether any future maisons have been crowned is to be determined, but the jury's selections clearly reflect what they see as the future of fashion.
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