In their search to find the next big names in fashion, LVMH Prize gives this new generation of influential fashion designers a little boost. This year, 2022 over 1,900 candidates applied globally – according to the executive vice president of Louis Vuitton and director of the Prize, Delphine Arnault. Explaining how this affects the importance of LVMH Prize, Delphine goes on to say “This success demonstrates the importance of the LVMH Prize internationally: many young designers have realized just how decisive this Prize is for their careers, as it helps to showcase and nurture the talents of tomorrow.”
Among the 20 semifinalists coming from Ghent, Dublin, Tokyo, and beyond, includes Nigeria’s very on Tokyo James.
Tokyo James’s founder and creative director Iniye Tokyo James is a British-Nigerian menswear designer. After graduating from the University of Westminster, James worked as a fashion stylist in London and directed digital campaigns for the likes of Issey Miyake and Puma Black Label. TOKYO JAMES launched in 2016 when James relocated back to Nigeria. From their base in Lagos, the label harmoniously fuses James’s Nigerian roots with traditional British tailoring techniques. TOKYO JAMES debuted their first collection at Milan Fashion Week 2021 to rave reviews.
In 2021, Nensi Dojaka took home the grand prize, KidSuper, Lukhanyo Mdingi, and Rui the Karl Lagerfeld special prize—as a sign for fashion’s next chapter. On this Arnault says “The class of 2021 has shown great ability in approaching the new world: they all have e-commerce sites, are present on social media and embrace a way of creating and producing that takes into account the challenges of our industry”. She adds “The class of 2021 was also a beautiful symbol of diversity: Nensi was born and raised in Albania, Lukhanyo is South African, Rui comes from Hunan in China… Young designers don’t necessarily express themselves in one of the world’s fashion capitals such as Paris, London, New York or Milan.”
The competition will have an in-person showroom taking place in Paris on March 4 and March 5, while the virtual showroom and voting online will continue.
The 2022 LVMH Prize semifinalists include:
Ashlyn, womenswear brand designed by Ashlynn Park in New York, New York, USA
Amesh, genderless brand designed by Amesh Wijesekera in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Airei, menswear brand designed by Drew Curry in Los Angeles, California, USA
arble, menswear brand designed by Anthony Alvarez Graff in Paris, France
Chenpeng, genderless brand designed by Peng Chen in Shanghai, China
ERL, menswear, womenswear, and genderless brand desigend by Eli Russell Linnetz in Venice Beach, California, USA
Goomheo, menswear and genderless brand designed by Goom Heo in London, UKKNWLS, womenswear brand designed by Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault in London, UK
Maximilian, womenswear brand designed by Maximilian Davis in London, UK
Meryll Rogge, womenswear brand designed by Meryll Rogge in Ghent, Belgium
Niccolò Pasqualetti, genderless brand designed by Niccolò Pasqualetti in Tuscany, Italy
Palomo Spain, genderless brand designed by Alejandro Gomez Palomo in Córdoba, Spain
Paula Canovas del Vas, womenswear brand designed by Paula Canovas del Vas in London, UK
Róisín Pierce, womenswear brand designed by Róisín Pierce in Dublin, Ireland
Ryunosukeokazaki, genderless brand designed by Ryunosuke Okazaki in Tokyo, Japan
S.S. Daley, menswear brand designed by Steven Stokey-Daley in London, UK
Tokyo James, menswear brand designed by Iniye Tokyo James in Lagos, Nigeria
Weinsanto, womenswear brand designed by Victor Brunstein Weinsanto in Paris, France
Winnie NY, menswear brand designed by Idris Balogun in New York, New York, USA
Yueqi Qi, genderless brand designed by Yueqi Qi in Shanghai, China
