LVMH Announces Special Prize Named in Karl Lagerfeld's Honor

The esteemed LVMH Prize announced today that its “Special Prize” is now named the “Karl Lagerfeld Prize” in honor of the late creative director. Prior to his passing in February, Lagerfeld had been “involved in the Prize since its launch,” as stated by Delphine Arnault, director and EVP at Louis Vuitton.

“He was fully committed to it since day one, 
transporting us with his enthusiasm and his energy, sharing with everyone, whether other jury members or candidates, his culture and his passion for fashion,” she said. “We shall always cherish those precious moments. The Karl Lagerfeld Prize naturally perpetuates the closeness we developed over the years and is a tribute to the man’s unique creative genius, to his ability to turn Paris 
into the fashion capital of the world.”

Alongside the Karl Lagerfeld Prize, the highly-lauded LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers will be awarded to one of the eight finalists that were announced in March. The eponymous Lagerfeld award will include €150,000 EUR (approximately $170,000 USD) and a year-long mentorship program from an LVMH team, which will span areas such as intellectual property, production and marketing. Jurors are comprised of nine notable industry leaders including Dior artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri, Loewe artistic director Jonathan Anderson and Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller.

The final designers for the LVMH Prize 2019 spotlights a diverse group, shedding light on talent from Nigeria, Israel and South Africa for the first time. The line-up includes Anrealage (by Kunihiko Morinaga), Bethany Williams, BODE (by Emily Adams Bode), Hed Mayner, Kenneth Ize (by Izedonmwen), PHIPPS (by Spencer Phipps), Stefan Cooke (by Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt) and Thebe Magugu. Winners will be announced on September 4 at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Elsewhere for LVMH, the company has pledged €10 Million EUR (approx. $11 Million USD) in order to help fight fires in the Amazon.