LVMH Prize Finalists: A Picture of Diversity

PARIS — Immigration hurdles notwithstanding, the eight finalists for this year’s edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers proved that fashion remains an industry with porous borders. “This 2017 edition has above all heralded the diversity of candidates,” said Delphine Arnault, the force behind the initiative and a key talent scout at family-controlled LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Among those competing for a grand prize of 300,000 euros, or $326,125 at current exchange, plus a year of coaching from experts at LVMH, are designers originating from Russia, Japan, South Korea, France, the U.K., Denmark and Syria. “I am delighted that women dominate this year’s selection, with five out of eight candidates. Furthermore, several boast an international experience such as Maria Kazakova for Jahnkoy and Kozaburo Akasaka for Kozaburo, respectively Russian and Japanese, who live and work in the United States,” Arnault said. Also in the running is Ambush, the Tokyo-based jewelry and apparel line created by Yoon Ahn, who was born in South Korea and raised in the U.S., and her husband, rapper Verbal, who is Japanese-born of South Korean descent. Nabil El-Nayal, a Syrian-born designer based in London, made it through to the finals after being short-listed for the 2015 prize. The other finalists

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