Back in November, we broke the news that LVMH was launching its new 300,000-euro LVMH Prize for Young Designers. After applications close on February 2, an LVMH team will select thirty promising talents from the long list of hopefuls. And during Paris fashion week, those up-and-comers will present their collections to an esteemed panel of forty industry insiders. Today, we can reveal the heavy hitters who will be sitting in the judges’ seats, and boy, if the fact that 300K is on the line doesn’t give the contestants butterflies, the international powerhouses set to survey their work just might. Central Saint Martins’ Louise Wilson, stylist Olivier Rizzo, Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet, stylist Camilla Nickerson, Colette’s Sarah Andelman, Dover Street Market’s Adrian Joffe, and editor Katie Grand are just some of the experts in the group. Of course, we can’t leave out Style.com’s own Tim Blanks and Jo-Ann Furniss, who will be joining their peers in narrowing down the pool from thirty to ten designers. As for the ultimate winner, we’ll have to hold our breath until May, when a group including Nicolas Ghesquière, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Humberto Leon, Carol Lim, Phoebe Philo, Raf Simons, and Riccardo Tisci, as well as Delphine Arnault, Jean-Paul Claverie, and Pierre-Yves Roussel decide who wins the grand prize. But considering the knowledge and taste levels the members of LVMH’s panel boast, it’s going to be worth the wait. Take a look at the full list of judges, below. As for the ultimate winner, we’ll have to hold our breath…
LVMH’s Panel of Experts
Imran Amed, founder and editor of Business of Fashion (London)
Sarah Andelman, creative director of Colette (Paris)
Fabien Baron, art director, founder of Baron & Baron (New York)
Tim Blanks, editor at large, Style.com (London)
Mariacarla Boscono, supermodel and muse (Rome)
Angelica Cheung, editor in chief of Vogue China (Beijing)
Alexandre de Betak, founder of Bureau Betak (Paris)
Godfrey Deeny, editor at large, fashion, Le Figaro (Paris)
Patrick Demarchelier, photographer (New York)
Babeth Djian, editor in chief of Numéro (Paris)
Linda Fargo, senior vice president of Bergdorf Goodman (New York)
Jo-Ann Furniss, writer, editor, and creative director (London)
Chantal Gaemperlé, LVMH group executive vice president for human resources and synergies (Paris)
Stephen Gan, founder of Fashion Media Group LLC (New York)
Julie Gilhart, consultant (New York)
Katie Grand, editor in chief of Love magazine (London)
Jefferson Hack, co-founder and editorial director of Dazed Group (London)
Laure Hériard Dubreuil, co-founder and chief executive of The Webster (Miami)
Adrian Joffe, chief executive officer of Dover Street Market International (London)
Sylvia Jorif, journalist at Elle magazine (Paris)
Hirofumi Kurino, creative Director of United Arrows (Tokyo)
Linda Loppa, director of Polimoda (Florence)
Natalie Massenet, founder and executive chairman of Net-a-Porter (London)
Pat McGrath, makeup artist (New York)
Marigay McKee, president of Saks Fifth Avenue (New York)
Sarah Mower, contributing editor, American Vogue (London)
Camilla Nickerson, stylist (New York)
Lilian Pacce, fashion editor and writer (São Paulo)
Jean-Jacques Picart, fashion and luxury consultant (Paris)
Gaia Repossi, creative director of Repossi (Paris)
Olivier Rizzo, stylist (Antwerp)
Carine Roitfeld, Founder of CR Fashion Book (Paris)
Olivier Saillard, director of the Galliera Museum (Paris)
Marie-Amelie Sauvé, stylist (Paris)
Carla Sozzani, founder of 10 Corso Como (Milan)
Charlotte Stockdale, stylist (London)
Tomoki Sukezane, stylist (Tokyo)
Natalia Vodianova, supermodel and philanthropist (Paris)
Louise Wilson, course director of the Fashion M.A. at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (London)
Dasha Zhukova, editor in chief of Garage magazine and founder of Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow)
